Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 23 Jan 2024

Ireland's SIDS Strategy, Impact of Climate Change and Update on Development Co-operation: Department of Foreign Affairs

An Cathaoirleach

I have received apologies from Senator Joe O'Reilly. I welcome our guests and those in the Public Gallery.

Our agenda item today is engagement with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland's small island developing states, SIDS, strategy, the impact of climate change in countries supported by Irish Aid, and an update on matters of development co-operation. The SIDS strategy was launched by the Tánaiste at COP28 in December before the end of the year.

I am pleased that today we will meet with Mr. Michael Gaffey, director general of development co-operation and the Africa division, along with his colleagues from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms Caroline Phelan, SIDS lead for global programmes, and Mr. Niall Tierney, director for global programmes and global citizen education unit. They are all very welcome.

The format of our meeting, which will be familiar to our witnesses, is in the usual manner. We will hear an opening statement from Mr. Gaffey followed by a question and answer session with members of the committee. I ask members to be concise in their questions to allow all members the opportunity to participate.

In respect of privilege, members and witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it in any way identifiable or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, witnesses will be directed to discontinue their remarks. Of course, it is imperative that any direction be fully complied with.

For witnesses attending remotely from outside of the Leinster House campus, there are some limitations to parliamentary privilege and as such they may not benefit from the same level of immunity from legal proceedings as a witness does if physically present in the room or on the campus. I remind members they are only allowed to participate if they are physically located in Leinster House.

I remind our guests from the Department of Foreign Affairs that we still operate a kind of Covid hybrid here insofar as members may well be attending from their offices. I do not see any such members, but if it happens in the course of the meeting, I will give an appropriate notice. With that, I thank members for attending and call Mr. Gaffey to make his opening statement.

Mr. Michael Gaffey

I thank the Cathaoirleach and members of the committee very much. I welcome this opportunity to discuss the second Ireland’s Strategy for Partnership with Small Island Developing States, Ireland’s support for climate vulnerable countries and the priorities for our development programme in 2024.

The UN has designated this year as the international year for SIDS. This is, therefore, a timely opportunity to discuss Ireland’s new strategy. As the Cathaoirleach said, on 8 December in Dubai at the COP28 summit, the Tánaiste launched the second strategy at a meeting together with SIDS leaders and representatives, former President Mary Robinson, and the Minister, Deputy Ryan. The strategy reflects the commitment in the programme for Government to deepen Ireland’s relationships with these partners.

Our first strategy for partnership with SIDS was launched in 2019 with the objective of establishing a framework to develop our long-standing co-operation with SIDS at the UN and to support them in managing the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on them. That strategy led to the establishment of a range of educational and professional exchanges between Ireland and SIDS, increased engagement with regional organisations and climate partners, and significantly wider collaboration with SIDS at international level.

By 2022, most of the commitments in the strategy had been completed or were ongoing and we began the process of preparing a successor strategy. This was important to maintain the momentum in the partnership and to ensure the partnership reflected recent developments, including Ireland’s increased engagement in international climate action, the expansion of our diplomatic network as part of the Global Ireland initiative, and the priorities in our strategies for Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia-Pacific region.

Extensive consultations were undertaken across the Department of Foreign Affairs and across other Departments, with international partners and, most importantly, with representatives of these countries to the EU, UN and World Bank and those based in London. This enabled us to shape the second strategy around SIDS priorities and focus our actions on areas where Ireland can have a real impact.

The new strategy is structured around four interlinked areas: building our partnership, climate and oceans, capacity, and advocacy. Support for the preparation of the SIDS programme of action for 2024 to 2034 is one of the early implementation priorities given its importance for our SIDS partners. At COP28, the Tánaiste announced that Ireland is providing €1 million to support this process, with particular focus on the preparatory consultations for the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States to be held in May in Antigua and Barbuda, when the document will be finalised.

Following Ireland’s appointment as co-chair of the steering committee for SIDS partnerships at the UN for the period 2024 to 2025, we will be actively involved in conference preparations and mobilising new partnerships to support the implementation of this programme of action. This is consistent with our prominent roles in advocating for SIDS priorities at international level.

With regard to capacity building, we have established new regional partnerships to support adaptation in SIDS and to increase support for small-scale, locally led development projects. We are expanding our educational and professional exchanges and, through our Office for the Caribbean, we will be working to enhance our engagement with partners in this region.

Climate action is central to our relationship with small island developing states and reflects the commitment in A Better World: Ireland’s Policy for International Development to focus on those most vulnerable to climate change. Ireland’s major areas of climate collaboration with SIDS are in the areas of climate adaptation, loss and damage, and oceans.

A key ask from the SIDS has been climate finance for adaptation measures. Climate change adaptation has long been a key focus of Ireland’s international climate diplomacy and financing. We want to strengthen our engagement with SIDS on this issue.

The small island developing states cannot face climate challenges alone. It is a common challenge for us all, even if they are most severely and extremely impacted at this stage. The international community also needs to come up with solutions to address the impact of climate change on those most affected. As the planet heats up, Ireland continues to place a high priority on protection and restoration of the ocean, which is reflected in the second SIDS strategy.

In engaging with SIDS, Ireland works to understand their challenges and advocates for solutions. We also support a range of partners who tackle various climate challenges with SIDS. I will share three specific examples of this work.

We provide €2 million in support to the special climate change fund under the UNFCCC, building on our support to this multilateral fund to support SIDS in enhancing their national and regional capacity to adapt to climate change. This is specifically in the areas of addressing water stress due to sea level rise, climate resistance across coastal ecosystems and infrastructure and in agriculture and food systems. Interventions will also address human security and livelihoods.

Another example is that we will provide €1 million to the Systematic Observations Financing Facility, which supports the generation and international sharing of basic weather and climate observation. It prioritises support to small island developing states and least developed countries and has begun the first phase of its programme in all Pacific and Caribbean SIDS.

We will support the NGO, Climate-KIC, with €1.5 million for innovators and start-ups to scale up climate solutions in small island developing states and other developing countries. Through Climate-KIC, we support adaptation and innovation, female entrepreneurship and the sustainable blue economy, especially in SIDS. We also support Climate-KIC's ClimateLaunchpad, the world's largest green business ideas competition, which, through Ireland's support, has now been extended to numerous Pacific islands.

The agreement at COP28 in Dubai on a fund for loss and damage was a major development and one in which Ireland played a vital role, with significant advocacy on the vulnerability of SIDS. In our shared seat with Germany on the loss and damage transitional committee to prepare for the fund, Ireland worked particularly closely with small island developing states in trying to find agreement. Together, we proposed a minimum allocation floor for least developed countries and small island developing states within the fund, and this was agreed. Ireland has announced a major contribution of €25 million to the new loss and damage fund.

I should add that students from small island developing states have also benefited from the Ireland Fellows programme since 2020, with 16 fellows currently studying in Ireland in this academic year. This engagement has been an opportunity for shared learning on the impact of climate change. It is shared learning on our part as well, because I would say we have learned a lot from the small island developing states on the extreme impact of climate change.

More broadly, in addition to the existential threat of climate change, we live in a time of unprecedented overlapping global crises. Ireland is playing its part in response, but this is a moment for serious renewed commitment globally to a more effective multilateral system. Ireland's official development assistance, ODA, will amount to a total of just under €2 billion in 2024. This includes eligible first-year costs for Ukrainian refugees in Ireland. If these costs are excluded and we look at the non-refugee costs, the ODA figure will be just under €1.5 billion. This is the third year that ODA will exceed the €1 billion figure.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Government's aid programme. The allocation for Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs will be the highest ever at just over €775 million. A further €487 million is accounted for by the estimated ODA expenditure of other Departments and by Ireland's share of the allocation to the EU development co-operation budget, which is expected to amount to more than €350 million this year.

Of the €60 million in additional financial resources allocated to the Department of Foreign Affairs for ODA for this year, €30 million has been specified for international climate finance. In addition to support for small island developing states, this will include initiatives in Ethiopia on agroforestry and climate resilient livelihoods in Tigray, on energy solutions for poor households in Sierra Leone, and on climate smart agricultural practices in Malawi, where there will be co-operation with USAID.

We are making significant progress towards meeting the commitment to provide annual funding of at least €225 million in international climate finance by 2025. Of the increase, the remaining €30 million will be allocated to response to humanitarian crises, prolonged acute food and nutrition insecurity and the impact of the war in Ukraine. This is in addition to the level of funding we were able to provide last year, which will be maintained. Support will also be provided to those countries worldwide that are experiencing the destructive global knock-on effects of the conflict and other shocks. Of course we will maintain our strong response to humanitarian crises and conflict worldwide, which the committee may wish to discuss later.

Ireland's development co-operation will continue to have a primary focus on sub-Saharan Africa and least developed countries. It is managed through our embassy network across Africa. Approximately €160 million is allocated for bilateral support to countries in sub-Saharan Africa, while almost €17 million is allocated at this stage for the occupied Palestinian territories. I note that our assistance to the occupied Palestinian territories in 2023 amounted to the highest ever figure - €36 million - primarily because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

To respond effectively and in a timely manner to significant global need, the Department's 2024 allocation for emergency response and humanitarian assistance is set at just under €150 million, a substantial increase on the €120 million allocated in 2023. In the coming year, €100 million will be allocated to predominantly Irish NGOs in support of their long-term development programmes.

That is just a very quick run-through of the budget planning for this year. I and my colleagues are very happy to discuss these and any other issues relating to Ireland's development co-operation with the members of the committee today. I thank the committee.

An Cathaoirleach

Thank you very much, Mr Gaffey. It goes without saying that the work undertaken by you and your colleagues in this aspect of Irish foreign policy is much lauded by the committee. We strongly support your work and we are very pleased to ensure annually that positive and active consideration is given to increasing funding on many of the projects undertaken by you and your colleagues. We are very pleased that you have an opportunity to brief us on the small island states issue.

Deputy Réada Cronin

I reiterate what the Cathaoirleach said about how supportive we are of the witnesses' work and how supportive we are of deepening relationships with these other small islands. We are a small island and a very prosperous one. We still have a history and a memory of colonialism, famine, displacement and poverty. It is to be hoped we can bring that to the witnesses' work in SIDS.

We have just had one storm and we are going into another now, Storm Jocelyn. I do not think it is going to be as bad as the last one, but we certainly are facing extreme weather events. I was on the climate committee prior to coming to this committee, so I am well aware of the issues. Regarding loss and damage, it was great to see the positive role Ireland played at COP28. I often say that the underdeveloped nations should not be asking us for money. They should perhaps be supplying the developed world with invoices because so much of our wealth was generated from their losses.

Many of our plans revolve around where we are going to be in eight or ten years in the context of our action programme for 2024 to 2034. In some ways, where we thought we were going to be in ten years, we could be in three or four years.

While we in Ireland are not facing catastrophic flooding, drought or famine due to crop failure at the moment, are we nimble and dynamic enough to adapt? We could be facing that. Climate change is coming at us a lot faster than we thought. Will Mr. Gaffey comment on that?

Mr. Michael Gaffey

Will I take that question now?

Deputy Réada Cronin

Yes, or later.

Mr. Michael Gaffey

I am more than happy to take it now. The Deputy is right. We have learned a lot from the small island developing states about what the extreme impact of climate change can mean. These are countries in different contexts. They are low-lying countries. Many of the Pacific islands are in danger of being obliterated by climate change. We talk about climate change adaptation, which is how they adapt to climate change. It is a nice phrase but at the COP last year a representative of one of the Pacific islands made a very clear point that adaptation for them is a huge loss and is a recognition of that loss because they are often moving their homes and villages back from what was the coast to other areas. They also have to move their livelihoods. The extreme challenges they face are not challenges that we face at this stage.

Deputy Réada Cronin

Yes.

Mr. Michael Gaffey

In the past few years, everybody has woken up to the fact that Ireland is not immune at all. Those strong winds coming over the Atlantic Ocean at the weekend and heading for us at the moment are just another example of the frequency of this. We have learned a lot about the urgency involved. No country can resolve climate change by itself. Absolute international action is essential. This was recognised at the COP in Dubai, maybe not as much as one might want but more than looked like would be the case. On the mitigation side, the agreement to start the transition away from fossil fuels is absolutely vital. If that agreement had not been reached, then really everyone would have said that the COP was a failure. That is one side of it.

In learning to build up resilience and adapt to climate change, we have learned from those countries what we need to do in our own policies locally and nationally. The key is concerted international action. It is also key to ensure that these conferences and international multilateral processes do not become talking shops but are increasingly the occasions for decisions.

The next COP will be in Baku in Azerbaijan. It is being seen very much as an opportunity to build new commitments on financing. The developed countries gave a commitment way back in 2009 to give €100 billion in international climate financing. The international community has only just about managed to reach that now. Ireland's role in committing to doubling our climate finance and that we will meet that target next year is very important also. Ireland's continued engagement internationally and bilaterally with countries that are more effective than ourselves and working with them in a climate justice manner, and also in tackling the full range of climate challenges, is not just in order to help others, it is also vital for ourselves and for our own future.

Deputy Réada Cronin

I might have another question later.

An Cathaoirleach

I will come back to the Deputy.

Deputy David Stanton

I thank Mr. Gaffey for his presentation, for the work the Department is doing and for the money that is being spent. Will Mr. Gaffey talk to us about the fund for loss and damage? How does the Department see that working? What tangible impact will it have on the ground? How much will it be and where will it be spent?

Mr. Michael Gaffey

In advance of the COP, there was some scepticism that it would be possible to reach any agreement on this. Loss and damage is a big priority for Ireland. Consider what loss and damage is: it is necessary when adaptation has not worked. In climate justice terms, it is also clear what it is. It is countries that have suffered irreparable damage and we then have to work with them to withstand the impacts of climate change in the future. In our work on loss and damage, we have focused on the most vulnerable countries. It has been a controversial issue in UN negotiations and it has been hard to progress it through climate diplomacy. This is why we were offered and accepted a seat at COP27, which we shared with Germany because there are only a certain number of seats for developed and less developed countries. At Sharm el-Sheikh it was agreed to spend the next year working out how a fund might be established. It was not widely expected that agreement would be reached on establishing the fund but it was. This was a major achievement in Dubai. Our main priority was to ensure that the newer fund would deliver for the most vulnerable countries. We proposed a minimum allocation floor for less developed countries and small island developing states within the fund. This was agreed.

The next two years are going to be spent establishing the fund and agreeing how it works. The Deputy will see the answers to his questions being developed over the next two years. The board has not been established yet and that is under way. Pledges have been made for this two-year period. Ireland pledged €25 million, the EU, UAE, the US and Japan have pledged just under €800 million in total. EU member states have pledged more than €400 million. That is not remotely the type of money that will be sufficient for loss and damage for less developed countries and small island developing states. The whole point now is to generate new forms of finance, not just from government but also from the private sector, through international financial institutions and through innovative ways of finance. This will all be negotiated and discussed. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on behalf of the EU, put forward ideas on just how fossil fuel companies might be able to make a contribution. A lot of that is still being negotiated. We have the broad framework, the establishment of the fund, and how it will work. Through our participation we will ensure that it really does focus sharply on least developed countries and on small island developing states.

Deputy David Stanton

I thank Mr. Gaffey. He mentioned the issue of rising sea levels. This is something I am quite interested in. Deputy Cronin also mentioned it. I have been reading Moving to Higher Ground by John Englander, who is one of the global experts in this area. He maintains that some of the smaller island states will actually disappear completely. He mentioned a number of these islands on which hundreds of thousands of people. Those populations would have to relocate. Mr. Englander asks questions about what would happen to their voting rights at the UN if their islands no longer exist. What would happen to their fishing rights if their islands no longer exist?

Sea level rise is what happens with the sea comes up and does not fall back. It is not like the tide coming in. It rises and stays up. Ireland, particularly in the context of my part of County Cork and certain towns and villages around the coast, is very vulnerable to sea level rise. We built our cities in very low-lying areas right around the coast. I have seen reports where even Florida could disappear as a result of rising seal levels. When we talk about the small island developing states and climate adaptation measure,s are we talking about people evacuating those places? Where do they go when the sea levels rise? Mr. Gaffey said that they move back and further back from the coast, but there comes a time when there is nowhere left to go. Some of these places are very low-lying. When I was a Minister of State, I met ministers from some of these places at the UN. They are extraordinarily concerned about this. It is not so much about stopping fossil fuels now because, as John Englander maintains, it is too late. Sea levels are rising as we speak. He maintains that by 2025 we could see a huge rise in sea levels. That is next year. Before the end of this century, there could be a rise in sea levels of up to 3 m across the world.

When we talk about climate adaptation measures and if we accept that this is happening, are we talking about people not only moving to higher ground but moving away from where they live because they will have no choice? We are talking about colossal numbers. Bangladesh is not a small island; it is very low-lying and millions of people live there. It could also disappear.

If we focus even on small islands for the purpose of today's meeting, has the question of where people will go when the oceans rise and do not recede been discussed at UN, European and COP level?

Mr. Michael Gaffey

The Deputy is right. Apart from small island developing states, two countries that are vulnerable in that sense are Bangladesh and Myanmar, both of which have huge populations. A few years ago, when campaigners spoke of climate change leading to refugee crises, some in certain parts - one being the British media - pooh-poohed the idea and said it was impossible. In fact, it is a reality. Climate change is an existential threat, most obviously at this stage for small island developing states. Some are so small, as the waters rise and they retreat, that there is a threat to their countries. At the UN, there is an issue of global governance to be looked at as to what happens if a country disappears completely. What about its people and existence as a state? For the moment, we are operating against time and not, as a world, in full recognition of the gravity of the crisis ahead. We see it most clearly with small island developing states. Adaptation at the moment means how you adapt agriculture, livelihoods and, in extremis, move homes and villages inland. Depending on what happens in coming years, that will become much more extreme. Depending on what happens in other parts of the world, there will be huge implications in the context of refugees. With the level of humanitarian crisis we are looking at now, we and a lot of the UN agencies are aware of the potential for greater dislocation and disruption. The important thing is that at the COP there is at least a greater sense of urgency now than there was in the past. We need that sense of urgency.

Deputy David Stanton

Getting back to our second strategy partnership with small island developing states, what is impacting sea level rise and the impact we just discussed?

Mr. Michael Gaffey

Mr. Tierney or Ms Phelan may wish to comment on the oceans aspect.

Ms Caroline Phelan

I thank the Deputy for his question. Relocation is one aspect, but building coastal resilience is a focus of our work with small island developing states. We have supported projects in the Pacific to build coastal resilience and protect communities, such as planting mangroves and other nature-based solutions. We have also been doing that in Africa with some of the regional organisations there. Our exchanges with small island developing states and Irish ocean experts are about learning and carrying out research on new responses. The Marine Institute is managing a programme which was launched in 2022 for small island developing states. Irish researchers and researchers in these states work together to come up with new solutions to respond to sea level rise and to focus on sustainable ocean development, which is a key sector for all aspects of these islands.

Deputy David Stanton

The impact of sea level rise on fresh water was mentioned, which is another issue. If seawater infiltrates wells and natural watercourses, what can we do to adapt?

Mr. Michael Gaffey

To be honest, we are learning as we go along from those communities about how to do this in small island developing states, and probably more in Africa in countries like Mozambique. We are working to adapt local agricultural practices and on the issue of access to water. I would not say we have come up with a solution. Part of the issue is to learn from local practices and not to come in with huge projects that may have been designed-----

Deputy David Stanton

I apologise for interrupting. Would Mr. Gaffey agree that both the State and the global community are long-fingering the issue of sea level rise? There is a perception that it will happen in the future and will not impact on us. It is not being taken seriously by governments, the UN or anyone else. I am talking about the actual sea level rise.

Mr. Michael Gaffey

We were in the past, but there is a growing sense that this is a massive global issue.

Deputy Cathal Berry

I thank Mr. Gaffey and his team for coming in and for their detailed opening statement. I welcome the people in the Public Gallery. The best thing about being on a committee is that you do not come in with a fixed position. Keeping an open mind, you learn a lot from the people who make presentations.

I have an observation. This is exactly where we need to be. I commend everyone involved in the programme. Small nations, particularly island nations, should look after each other. We have a population the same size as Birmingham, so it is totally appropriate that we engage with like-minded islands across the world. We give about €1 billion in overseas development assistance every year. People might rightly ask if that money is well spent. The witness outlined why it is. There are three main reasons. The first is altruism. Even in its own right, we should look after people less fortunate than ourselves.

As Deputy Cronin mentioned, we should probably balance the books from a climate action point of view. Ireland is a net emitter, which we must be mindful of. Third, it was good to hear the witness mention migration, which is an issue globally. It is in Ireland's national interest that we try to look after the countries of origin to prevent any forced migration, at least. This is a classic example of money well spent.

This is my first Dáil term. I have been here for about four years. Nearly all of the events we have faced have been external to this country. We have been buffeted geopolitical events such as Brexit, the pandemic, Ukraine and the Middle East. Climate action has been the constant throughout. The second- and third-order effects are really affecting this country. Mr. Gaffey mentioned that some low-lying islands may be washed away in the future. I know a lot of factors are at play, but is there any indication of when that could happen? Are we talking about 2050, 2080 or 2100? Is there an approximate timeline for when the first of these small nations may be in serious trouble?

I thank the witnesses for their work and commend the programme. I am generally a positive supporter of overseas development assistance anyway but I am extremely supportive of this programme, in particular when Estimates come through.

Mr. Michael Gaffey

I do not know the answer on the specific question regarding the science. You get different answers from different people. Of the small island developing states, some are archipelagos of which the outlying islands have already disappeared. We are involved in seabed mapping and trying to understand that. Scientists are working on it. No one can afford to say that it will not happen in our lifetimes. It is an urgent challenge. On official development assistance, as a country, we have moved far from the notion of it just being charity for others. It is a reflection of our values and our interests as global citizens and a country active in the world.

Our total overseas development assistance this year will, I think, amount to just under €2 billion. That has been raised by first-year costs that can be counted for Ukrainian refugees here. If we are talking about money not spent in this country, it is about €1.5 billion. For the Department of Foreign Affairs, the money it manages under the heading of Irish Aid will be the highest ever this year, its 50th year. It will be €775 million or €776 million. I hope it will be higher next year because the level of need is enormous. Migration has brought some of the issues to the fore, not that we give aid to stop migration but it is a sign of the world in which we live. For instance, Europe and Africa will develop in the coming century in a way that neither can be isolated from the other. It is not only the right thing to do but is also in our interests to help in the development of economies and systems of democratic government in Africa.

The huge need in Africa in the coming century is going to be jobs for young people. There is huge talent and ability there. We want to work with partners in Africa to help to empower them because it is better that we have a developing rather than a recalcitrant Africa. Enormous progress has been made in Africa but it is not a uniform continent. We must take into the consideration the different countries and the different levels of inequality, and also the issue of conflict which is a constant threat to development. I would say that the hunger crisis that exists in the world today, the food security and nutrition crisis which should not exist in a world where we have enough food for everyone, is driven in huge part by conflict and that is utterly man-made. The work that we do on root causes and how we use our overseas development aid really is of vital importance and in our own interests as a country. I thank the Deputy very much for his comments.

Deputy Cathal Berry

Thank you.

An Cathaoirleach

Senator Ardagh was on the line earlier but she does not appear to be there now. If she returns, we can deal with her issues.

From my own perspective, I want to acknowledge the importance of this work, particularly in recent times at COP28. I applaud the manner in which the loss and damage fund was agreed and established, and I acknowledge our partnership with Germany, which shared the seat with us. What are the next steps in that regard? We have committed €25 million but, as Mr. Gaffey acknowledged, that is a very small amount in the general scheme of things. Where would he see the next steps being in respect of the loss and damage fund?

I am very interested in his commentary on the fellowships, students and the youth-led partnerships. It would seem to me that there is a very important role there in terms of awareness, information and knowledge. I dare say, since the strategy was first inaugurated in 2019, that there are many communities across Ireland who are not familiar with issues in the small island states. In fact, one of the few things that the small island states have in common is the fact that they are a considerable distance from us in Ireland in terms of the geography. However, they share much in terms of environmental threat. How would Mr. Gaffey see our information campaign developing? It strikes me that there might even be a role for this committee to ensure that communities in Ireland are informed. When informed, they may be in a position to have some of their members activated to engage in the fellows programme. I note that a number of overseas international students are coming from the small island states but I am assuming it is a two-way street and that young Irish people may also be in a position to assist by volunteering and having exchanges in many of the more vulnerable states. Is there a role for this committee, for the Dáil and for public representatives more generally in the area of information and awareness raising?

On the matter of the sourcing of funds and acknowledging the €25 million that Ireland is obliged to contribute to the loss and damage fund, it seems to me - this is outlined in the strategy - that we must continue to look for new sources of funding. We must move beyond the GNI-based model for access to finance. Presumably that will involve an increase in the level of contribution on the part of the private sector, including international institutional finance. How does the Government intend to take initiatives in that area? Also in the matter of information and awareness, Mr. Gaffey acknowledged 50 years of very successful engagement on the part of Ireland, assisting in what was best, by way of overseas aid. The 50th anniversary this year will provide a potential opportunity not only to acknowledge the role of the Irish people but also to seek to develop further innovative schemes and arrangements. I assume there is a programme of events to mark the 50th anniversary. Is there anything Mr. Gaffey can share with the committee in that regard?

Having read the second strategy, it is quite obvious that Ireland is now moving to a completely different level of engagement from the first strategy to the second. Obviously that will involve funding and finance but it will also involve boots on the ground. In this regard, I note the example of the expanded nature of the consular office in Miami in Florida, with specific responsibility for the Caribbean. Indeed, the consul there would be known to this committee, Consul General Sarah Kavanagh. I want to acknowledge her work programme in Miami. Presumably, that will involve increased resources to allow the footprint in the Caribbean to develop in a way that would be consistent with the strategy. What arrangements have been made for the roll-out of such new and exciting engagements, as contained in the strategy?

Finally, as referred to by Deputy Stanton, there is the impact of global conflict. We can look to the example of the impact of the war in Ukraine and more recently, the conflict in Gaza. How can the funding be ring-fenced to allow initiatives like the second strategy for partnership with SIDS to proceed in accordance with the plan while at the same time complying with new and emerging obligations under the emergency banner of international funding?

Again, I thank Mr. Gaffey for being with us and for sharing information on this important initiative on the part of Ireland. We would hope that there are some practical aspects of the initiative that we, as a committee, might be to demonstrate or support.

Mr. Michael Gaffey

I thank the Cathaoirleach for those comments and questions. I will take them first before handing over to Mr. Tierney to talk about the fellowships programme. That is an especially important one for us because this is our 50th year of having fellowships in Ireland for students from developing countries, that is, not specifically from SIDS but in general.

On the loss and damage fund, as I was saying, the work is really only beginning. It is important that the fund has been established and that we have pledged funding. In fact, Ireland's pledge is the second highest per capita after that of the United Arab Emirates, which is a sign of our commitment to the fund. The board and governing arrangements of the fund are being worked on and discussions on the composition of the board are under way. It will be unique in having specific additional seats for the least developed countries and small island developing states, which was a key priority for us in the design of the board. We are involved in those discussions and there will, we hope, be agreement on the board and how it will work. The Cathaoirleach is absolutely correct to say the issue of new and innovative sources of financing, not just relying on Government funding, is going to be the big priority for COP in Baku in November. There is a year to be spent, therefore, on making this a reality and seeing how we can make progress.

There has been much discussion on how to generate additional funding, and a lot of discussion happened internationally last year. The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has been very active as a voice for SIDS not only in saying the rest of the world was not taking seriously the existential threat to countries such as hers but also in saying the international financial institutions have to reorganise their ways of working to generate much more significant funding for climate change, without undermining - this is the balance - their mandate and role in the fight to end poverty. What we have to understand, even just conceptually, is that we cannot separate the fight against poverty and for development from the threat of climate change, but many of the international institutions were designed post war without any regard, obviously, to the climate change challenge.

Prime Minister Mottley, therefore, has been putting forward proposals and President Macron held a summit in Paris in June to consider them. It is a little slow, as everything multilateral can be, but we are moving towards new ways of working and of generating finance through the international financial institutions, and there will also be the role of the private sector and, indeed, the fossil fuel sector. These are difficult discussions that will, in the end, potentially affect everybody because how we generate funds internationally to address climate change, depending on what innovative funds are agreed, could have an impact on everybody. That is a major item of work internationally for us all over this year and beyond, but it will be clear that progress is needed this year.

I will skip over the question on fellowships and hand that to Mr. Tierney. The programme has been really important for us in that we learn from the fellows who come here and also in that we send volunteers from Ireland, usually through the UN system, which Mr. Tierney will speak about, such that there is a two-way exchange.

It is the 50th anniversary of Irish Aid. We are not devoting massive resources to celebrating the anniversary but to redoubling our work and to looking at how we work. Nevertheless, we will have events to mark it. We are working on those at the moment and we will have a full programme we can share with the committee.

The Cathaoirleach mentioned the office of the Caribbean. It is co-located in the new consulate general in Miami, which was opened last year with Consul General Sarah Kavanagh heading it up. That, I think, will enable us to engage much more substantively with the Caribbean countries. We also have an office for Central America, based in our embassy in Mexico, and we are looking to increase our work as an aid programme throughout Central America and the Caribbean. We are also working clearly in Colombia. We will, I hope, have some additional resources and staff to do that.

The Cathaoirleach also raised the huge question of the impact of conflict. When the Russian invasion of Ukraine happened on 22 February 2022, the reaction was huge across the board, but it is clear that in some countries there was a diversion of assistance from, for instance, Africa to Ukraine, and there was a reaction by African countries to the European focus on Europe at the expense of Africa. In talking to African colleagues, we make the point clearly that, obviously, we are going to respond to an illegal war on our own Continent, but we want to make clear we will not do so at the expense of assistance for the development of Africa or of reaction to crises and wars in Africa. Of course, it is worth remembering that African countries are host to many millions more refugees than are European countries, so we do not at all want to give the impression the response to the Ukraine war is at the expense of Africa. I can say for certain that in respect of Ireland's response, it has not been. We have not moved any funding away from Africa. Supplementary Estimates in the past two years have enabled us to respond to the crises and maintain the level of development funding. It has not been the case universally. There is a real sense internationally that levels of ODA are not increasing in the way they should and that some countries are implementing cuts at a time of crisis, and there is a real sense of this being a time of crisis in terms not just of the impact on people but also of the ability to respond. Ireland, however, has so far been to the fore in maintaining its response not at the expense of other crises.

Even so, the extent of crisis is such that we will have to wait and see. We have in the past been able to respond to one crisis followed by another. Now we are facing major crises relating not only to natural disasters but also to wars and conflicts that are happening at the same time and coming on top of one another. It is a very challenging time for a humanitarian response and many of the UN appeals for major crises are severely underfunded. When, at the end of last year, we received a very important Supplementary Estimate of €25 million for the ODA programme, most of that was devoted to the crisis in Gaza, but we were clear also in ensuring funding went, for instance, to the crisis in Sudan. That is a huge crisis, with perhaps 7 million refugees flowing from it, but it is not getting the attention it deserves, so we have been highlighting it as well. One of the biggest challenges at the moment in any programme such as ours relates to how we should carry out the important development work that can yield progress while at the same time responding to crises that are destroying that progress and responding to climate change, which is the overarching existential threat for it all. The operating context is more complex than it was, or at least than it was understood to be in the past, which might be a more accurate way to put it.

On fellowships, I will hand over to my colleague Mr. Tierney.

Mr. Niall Tierney

As the director general laid out, the fellowships programme is continuing as Irish Aid enters its 50th year. Over recent years, a number of actions have been taken to expand it. It is undoubtedly one of the most popular programmes. If any committee members have visited any of the partner countries with departmental support, it has most likely arisen in their bilaterals. It is highly valued. Students mostly came from Africa over the first three and a half decades of the programme, but decisions were taken in 2019-20 to expand the intake to the occupied Palestinian territories.

In 2021, in line with the first SIDS strategy, as regards master's level students from the small island developing states, and in 2023-24, in line with our Latin American-Caribbean strategy, it was extended to incorporate students coming from those areas as well. It reflects one of the strongest people-to-people relationships we can have. The competition to access the Irish fellowship is enormous. The quality of students who come to interview is humbling for any of us who have been involved in the recruitment process. These are people who will go back into their own systems and most likely become leaders, whether in public positions or economic positions. One of the things on which we are working this year, and on which a partner has been engaged to support, is investing in the alumni network to try to draw people together in order that they feel part of a global system, rather than just the cohort that has returned to a given country. Politically, at the moment, what has been most harrowing and touching at the same time is that it has been very difficult, understandably, to progress the occupied Palestinian territories round for 2024-25. The decision was made, however, to go ahead and extend that. Interviews were undertaken in recent weeks and 100% of the candidates from Gaza were able to partake in their interviews - some from bombed-out buildings and some from press vans - to try to secure themselves positions. We currently have 22 fellows in country, 11 from Gaza and 11 from the West Bank, and we hope that a similar window can be filled.

There is a lot of demand across our embassy network from other countries that are not involved. The policy or the strategy target of 210 fellows studying at Irish high-level education institutes was reached in the 2022-23 intake, but we are in an active review to see whether that could be extended. We currently have 206 fellows in country at the moment.

An Cathaoirleach

That sounds very positive.

Mr. Michael Gaffney

It is, and, of course, we are doing this to build capacity in developing countries, but in a way it also potentially builds our influence. As any Members who have travelled around Africa or countries elsewhere will know, you meet leaders and people who have been educated by Irish priests and nuns, who have shared an educational experience with us. It builds a common bond that is really important, but also, we have leaders all over Africa who have been educated by Irish missionaries. For the future, that will not be the case, but I hope that by building our alumni network of the fellowships, as we travel around in future years, we will meet people who have had very positive experiences in Irish third level institutions and who have developed an affinity for our country and we for theirs.

An Cathaoirleach

Unless there are other issues to be raised by Deputy Cronin or Deputy Stanton, I will bring matters to a conclusion by thanking Mr. Gaffney, Mr. Tierney and Ms Phelan for being with us and for the update on the very important work being done. I do not see Senator Ardagh on the line so I will bring matters to a conclusion. No doubt we will have further opportunities in the course of the year for further engagement, and we wish you well in the roll-out of the strategy. We will go into private session for the remainder of our meeting.

The joint committee went into private session at 4.25 p.m. and adjourned at 4.42 p.m. until 3.15 p.m. on Tuesday, 30 January 2024.