Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2020
405. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the degree to which bilateral and multilateral aid from Ireland continues to find the destination for which it was intended; the exceptions to the rule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28822/20]
View answerIreland's international development policy, A Better World, has as its overarching objective the commitment to reach the furthest behind first. Peer Reviews by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) have consistently found Ireland's development cooperation to be of the highest quality, commending our poverty focus and commitment to Least Developed Countries.
Ireland works with a variety of partners in order to reach those in greatest need, using a combination of bilateral and multilateral aid channels. The partners we work with are considered and measured on the extent to which they can deliver against this overarching objective and the policy priority areas as set out in A Better World.
Both bilateral and multilateral aid play an important and complementary role in ensuring that Ireland’s ODA is directed to where it is needed most and has the maximum impact on the lives of those furthest behind.
Ireland's multilateral partnerships, including our work through the EU and United Nations, give Ireland a significant global presence and footprint, including in fragile states and conflict-affected contexts. This enables Ireland to direct vital assistance to people living in challenging, insecure and difficult to access environments.
Our bilateral partnerships, which includes partnerships with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), focus on our thematic and geographic priorities, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Partnership with civil society is one of the hallmarks of Ireland's development cooperation approach. We are one of the leading OECD DAC donors is providing support to and through CSOs.
These partnership enable us to deliver support to vulnerable communities across the globe.
