Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 October 2015
324. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the commitments undertaken following the ratification of the Sustainable Development Goals to lead the way in securing their implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33925/15]
View answer325. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the ratification of the Sustainable Development Goals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33924/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 325 together.
At the end of September, the Taoiseach led the Irish delegation at the UN Summit in New York where world leaders ratified a new global development agenda, including a detailed new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets. The SDGs are universally applicable and will guide the actions of all countries in their efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger and achieve sustainable development over the next fifteen years.
The Summit was a proud moment for Ireland given the role we were asked to play in facilitating the intergovernmental negotiations that achieved agreement among all 193 Member States. This agreement, ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’, is aimed at transforming the global approach to development.
Ireland had already played a key role in framing the parameters of the new agenda at both EU and UN levels. This included brokering EU Council Conclusions during the 2013 Irish EU Presidency and securing agreement at the UN on a road map for the post-2015 negotiations at a Special Event on the Millennium Development Goals in September 2013.
The universal nature of the SDGs will require all countries to take action. In common with our EU partners, we will now focus on developing the most appropriate institutional framework to deliver the new development agenda domestically and internationally.
“One World, One Future”, our policy for international development, sets out priorities which are very much in line with the new sustainable development agenda. It clearly articulates the Government’s commitment to the UN target of providing 0.7% of Gross National Product (GNP) for Official Development Assistance (ODA). In his address to the UN Summit, the Taoiseach reiterated our commitment to making progress towards the 0.7% target.
Our track record in support of Ireland’s aid programme speaks for itself. Over the past four years, we have protected and stabilised budget allocations, at a time of extraordinary economic difficulty. We stated consistently that we would make progress towards the 0.7% target once economic conditions allow. As our economic recovery gains momentum and becomes more widely established, we can now begin delivering on that commitment.
The Budget for 2016, announced on 14 October, involves the first substantial increase in the aid budget in seven years. For next year, we have provided a total of over €640 million in ODA, an increase of €40 million, or almost 7% on the 2015 level. We estimate that this will entail a small increase in our ODA/GNP percentage, from a projected 0.35% in 2015 to a projected 0.36% in 2016.
The major challenge for the year ahead will be to ensure Ireland continues to play a leading role in the comprehensive response to the unprecedented levels of humanitarian crisis, especially in Europe’s broader neighbourhood, while ensuring that our aid programme remains effective in addressing the root causes of poverty and hunger in the poorest countries as we work towards the objective of ending extreme poverty and hunger by 2030.
