I thank the Chairman. I am delighted to be here on this side of the chamber. It is also nice to see former colleagues. I am here with Mr. Zomer, the director of the secretariat of Dóchas. We very much welcome this opportunity to address the sub-committee on development policy coherence. During the years Irish overseas development NGOs have benefited hugely from the support of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and we are grateful for the opportunity to highlight the important steps being taken to bring about a whole-of-government approach to the fight against poverty and injustice. The sub-committee has a vital role to play in this regard as the emphasis is on overseas development.
Dóchas represents 39 Irish member organisations, supported by approximately 850,000 people - one in every five people in the country - for whom poverty eradication is a prime goal. As the national umbrella body of Irish overseas development NGOs, Dóchas co-ordinates with NGO colleagues across Europe which share our view that it is unacceptable to live in a world where one third of all people endure conditions of unbearable poverty. Ours is a passionate and committed constituency, one that can give shape to the Government's stated commitment to make the fight against poverty a central plank of Irish foreign policy.
For Dóchas members, it is important to note that the fight against poverty is not merely a matter of providing aid. We are proud of Ireland's record of generosity and professional development assistance, but we also know that aid alone cannot, and will not, bring an end to poverty in itself. Poverty will only truly become history if we put in place the mechanisms that allow people to live a life in dignity, and provide them with the opportunities to develop to their full potential.
Not only does poverty relate to a lack of food, or money, it also relates to a lack of control over one's life and resources. Poverty is not simply a matter of scarcity as it is the result of human interaction. Poverty is exclusion from social, economic and political processes that affect one's life.
Fighting poverty is not merely about providing people with the material benefits they lack but about promoting development. Development is about reversing poverty and inequality, increasing the choices and opportunities available to the poor and protecting their human rights. Development, therefore, is about more than aid.
We welcome the Government's recognition of this fundamental fact. We also acknowledge there is broad cross-party consensus on this issue, which is vital in this area. This is also featured explicitly in the White Paper on Irish Aid, and that is brought to life by the creation of, and the high-level representation at, the interdepartmental committee on development, IDCD. This is what we are present to discuss today.
The IDCD was created to ensure a broadly coherent approach to the objectives of our development co-operation programme. Development co-operation is now a central plank of Irish foreign policy but many areas of Government action have an impact on developing countries. With the help of Trinity College and the advisory board of Irish Aid, the IDCD is investigating which areas of Government policy could undermine the core aims of our aid programme.
We believe that under the leadership of the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Peter Power, the IDCD can become one of the key forces for change and a vital instrument in determining Ireland's external policies.
Dóchas welcomes the political will that established the committee and the good groundwork done so far by the members, who are representatives of the 15 Departments. We are very encouraged by the committee's approach to date, which has been transparent, open and creative, and based on a genuine desire to engage in dialogue with all relevant stakeholders.
Our core message today is that, by setting up the IDCD, the Government has taken a very significant step in trying to enhance the impact of the Irish aid programme. It is a significant step, but not the final step. Bringing about a coherent approach to development, or, as we call it, "policy coherence for development", is not a technical fix that can be achieved by setting up a committee; it is a matter of achieving the right balance for developing countries in Irish politics and policy. It requires leadership, energy and persistence. It requires willingness to be a champion for the rights and needs of the millions of people who have no say in Ireland's or Europe's decision-making but who are profoundly affected by those decisions.
This leadership and energy must come from the Ministers in charge of the aid programme, but also from the Members of the Oireachtas. This sub-committee and the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs can play a leading role in this regard.
Dóchas accepts - it would be foolish not to - that incoherence is inevitable in a democracy, and that development priorities will not win out in all cases. For all of us, the challenge is to minimise incoherence and its negative effects on the poor and developmental processes; mitigate the worst effects where incoherence is unavoidable; and to seek synergies and added value where they are to be found. Specifically, we are seeking political will, responsiveness, effectiveness, transparency and links to support decision-making.
On political will, if we want to promote development-friendly outcomes of Irish and European decision-making processes, we need to invest in them. We need to champion the cause of the poor in the face of sometimes forceful opposition.
On responsiveness, we need to put in place mechanisms by which people, be they citizens, politicians or NGOs, can bring areas of incoherence to the attention of decision-makers.
On effectiveness, any mechanisms and structures set up to promote policy coherence for development must be resourced and given a mandate to make a difference. Dóchas has carried out research in this area and has discussed examples of good practice with the IDCD.
On transparency, it is vital that the results of our analysis, and the nature of our competing demands, be discussed openly and democratically. This committee can play a vital role in this regard. We suggest that the Oireachtas host an annual debate about development, not focusing simply on the performance of Irish Aid but on Ireland's performance in general. At EU level, the Commission has recently started to produce annual policy coherence for development reports. There has been just one report so far but the process promises to be a useful one and could really help galvanise European political will to remove the impediments that hold back or adversely affect developing countries. To do the same in Ireland would be immensely valuable.
On links, it is imperative that the Oireachtas, through the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and, more explicitly, this sub-committee, be closely involved and associated with the debate on policy coherence. The newly created IDCD should be encouraged to engage with the committee and report thereto.
For the members of Dóchas, Ireland's commitment to development is crucial. We are proud of the results and effectiveness of Ireland's aid programme, but as aid practitioners we are acutely aware of our own limitations. For Ireland to make a genuine and lasting impact in the efforts to make poverty history, more is required than generosity and charity. The members of Dóchas have numerous suggestions to make on how this can be achieved. The IDCD, the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and this sub-committee are on our side in this regard.
For now, we would like to leave members with three main messages. First, through the creation of the IDCD, Ireland has taken a significant step to enhance its overall efforts to bring about an end to poverty. We must ensure the committee is given the mandate to do its work and that it is supported by a genuine political will to make a difference. Second, Dóchas and its members will support all initiatives aimed at enhancing Ireland's efforts in this regard. We will do this strongly and energetically, and we will do so on the basis of our experience, expertise and the support of our partners overseas, namely, those in the field. Third, the Oireachtas in general, and this committee in particular, has a crucial role to play, if this project is to succeed.
We thank the members for the opportunity to outline our views on this important issue and we wish them well in their work. We will be delighted to accept questions. As Mr. Hans Zomer has said nothing so far, I am sure he will be even more delighted than me.
