I am pleased to come before the joint committee to respond to the various issues that were raised. If additional copies of the annual report or the Africa strategy are required, we will be glad to supply them.
I will outline the priorities of the Government's aid programme, which is managed by Irish Aid in my Department. We are strongly committed to the aid programme and to keeping development issues at the heart of Ireland's foreign policy.
Internationally, Ireland's aid programme is regarded as one of the most focused and effective. Our aid programme is not simply an official programme but is very much the Irish people's programme. It reflects the values and sense of solidarity with people and communities in the developing world. The strength of the programme is very much around that strong public support. I acknowledge the broad cross-party support for this programme by previous Governments and the current Government. It is important that we continue to communicate as strongly as we can with the people, so that they are aware of the intentions of our development programme. In that way it will continue to be the people's programme.
I look forward to building on this very solid foundation to ensure that our overseas programme is responsive to the changing domestic and international economic and social context. I wish to ensure that the Oireachtas and the members of the joint committee are fully engaged with the programme over the coming years. I know the committee has been discussing the possibility of visiting one of our priority programmes in order to understand better the work of the programme and the constant challenges that it faces. I formally invite the committee to make a first visit to an Irish Aid priority programme over the coming months. I know the committee has engaged with departmental officials and is proposing to travel in the near future. Our embassy and officials in Irish Aid will be ready to work with members to ensure the visit provides an opportunity to meet with government, community organisations and staff engaged in delivering the programme. It is important that members have a basis to make their own assessment of achievements to date and the challenges that lie ahead. I hope that as many members as possible will visit a programme country.
I am sure members have taken the opportunity to look at the Irish Aid annual report for 2010, which was published two weeks ago. It sets out clearly how funding was used in the programme last year and highlights the results that are being achieved. This year Ireland's total overseas development aid budget will be €659 million. On current projections this will ensure that Ireland will provide 0.52% of GNP for development assistance this year. On a per capita basis, Ireland remains one of the most generous donors globally. We have clearly stated in the programme for Government that we are committed to meeting the target of 0.7% of GNP. We know that will be difficult. In the current economic circumstances it is a major challenge and the target may be difficult to achieve, but our strategy is to restore growth to the economy and to provide the basis for sustained growth in the Government aid programme in the years ahead. I am personally committed to working with Government colleagues to achieve that goal.
We have made this commitment not only because it is the right thing to do, reflecting the values and sense of solidarity of the Irish people with those who face extreme poverty in much poorer countries than our own, but also because it is in our own interests, as an outward looking nation whose future depends on the strength of our political, economic and cultural partnerships worldwide. It is no hard to remind ourselves of President Obama's speech in College Green recently when he referred to the Irish aid development programme. It obviously has resonance right across the world.
Of equal importance to budget volume is the issue of the quality of our aid programme. Over recent years there has been a significant move away from measuring quantity to putting more emphasis on the results and the outcomes achieved. This is counting not how much we give but what we are achieving from our contribution. Ireland has been to the forefront of this change. The quality of our aid programme has been recognised in many independent reports. A recent report that members may not be aware of, is the 2010 evaluation of the Paris declaration on aid effectiveness which was published last week. It ranks Ireland as highest among all European Union member states for the delivery of our commitments on aid quality. We are constantly being examined and evaluated and this most recent report is very positive for Ireland.
Attention to aid quality means a stronger emphasis on value for money and maximising the impact of Irish taxpayers' money allocated to development assistance. It means strengthening the accountability of partner governments for resources they receive from donors such as Ireland. It means ensuring that Irish people can be made aware of how Irish Aid is leading to positive change in the lives of the world's poorest people. In the current economic environment where there will be continued pressure to rationalise and fully account for expenditures in development co-operation, it is absolutely incumbent on me as the responsible Minister of State to ensure that our commitment to honouring our pledge to reach the 0.7% overseas development aid target is fully matched by a parallel commitment to aid quality and achieving results.
In spite of the impressive strides achieved in recent years, we are aware of the food crisis in the Horn of Africa and the natural disasters in Haiti and Pakistan last year which are stark reminders of the need to improve the resilience of communities in developing countries over the long term The Horn of Africa is currently experiencing the most severe food crisis to face the region in 60 years and it is estimated that 13 million people in drought stricken areas of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda are severely affected. The epicentre of the crisis is in southern Somalia, where famine has now been declared in six areas of the country and the UN has warned that 750,000 people are at risk of death if efforts to respond are not scaled up sufficiently. We are all well aware of the cause of the crisis - prolonged drought, failure of two seasonal rains as well as the substantial increase in food prices. The situation in Somalia has been compounded considerably by the conflict in that country and in particular by the decision of the Al-Shabaab militant group to ban the UN World Food Programme and several other western aid agencies from areas under its control. This devastating combination of drought and war has led to unprecedented numbers of people fleeing across the border. According to UNHCR, about a quarter of Somalia's population, 1.8 million people, have been uprooted since the beginning of the year. Large-scale displacements continue both within Somalia and to both Kenya and Ethiopia with mortality and malnutrition rates among those arriving at refugee camps in the latter two countries reported as alarming.
The Government has been following the situation in the Horn of Africa with concern for a number of months. Irish Aid funding allocated toward the relief effort currently stands at €10.1 million. In per capita terms Ireland is one of the most committed and generous donors to the region. We recently sent out a team who have returned and reported to us. We are constantly looking to see how we can assist in the Horn of Africa. At this weekend’s ministerial mini summit on the Horn of Africa in New York, the Tánaiste pledged a further €10 million in humanitarian assistance to the region before the end of 2012, effectively doubling the commitment to date.
Including our long-term development assistance to regions in the Horn of Africa, Ireland will provide a total of up to €50 million in assistance over 2011 and 2012. Irish Aid funding has been allocated to organisations with an operational presence inside Somalia, including Concern, Trócaire, the International Committee of the Red Cross and UNICEF and also to the World Food Programme, Christian Aid, Oxfam, GOAL and the UNHCR, for these agencies' work with local populations and Somali refugees in Kenya and Ethiopia. Government funding has been matched with very considerable donations made by the Irish people, demonstrating once again, even in the harshest of economic times, the enormous level of support in Ireland for assisting those most in need in the world's poorest countries. The Government, through Irish Aid, has also carried out two major airlifts of emergency water and shelter materials to Concern and the UNHCR for their activities in southern Somalia and the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. In addition, Irish Aid has undertaken 21 deployments from its rapid response corps to humanitarian agencies in the region.
The appalling situation in the Horn of Africa highlights the importance of planning for a longer-term solution to the problem of hunger and food shortages in many developing countries and in June of this year, I visited two of Ireland's programme countries, Malawi and Mozambique. I saw the effectiveness of our programmes, particularly in agricultural productivity, climate change and poor nutrition. Approximately 80% of subsistence farmers in sub-Saharan Africa are women. Anyone who visits programme areas is able to see the difference our programmes are making to the life chances of subsistence farmers and their families in terms of educational opportunity and the ability of farmers to feed their families. We are specifically targeting under-nutrition in mothers and young children and smallholder agricultural productivity, as I was able to observe on the ground.
Following the publication of the hunger task force report in 2008, we have undertaken to direct 20% of the Irish Aid budget to hunger and hunger related actions by 2012. We are firmly on track to meet this target. Irish Aid has scaled up its support for initiatives to help farmers produce enough food to feed their families and increase their incomes. It has increased its support for initiatives in Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia and Mozambique which aim to assist agricultural and rural development through improving rural infrastructure, including roads, water supply and irrigation systems. It has increased the number of programmes that target maternal, infant and child under-nutrition in developing countries.
Ireland is a strong supporter of the Scaling Up Nutrition or SUN movement. In 2010, Ireland co-hosted with the US Government an event to launch the international 1,000 days initiative to address maternal and childhood malnutrition. In June this year, the Tánaiste, with US Secretary of State Clinton and Tanzanian Prime Minister Pinda, jointly launched the Scaling Up Nutrition programme in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Just last week I attended a high level UN meeting in New York at which the Tánaiste delivered an address on Ireland's response to hunger. The meeting gathered together an impressive group of leaders, including UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State, Ms Hilary Clinton, and President Kikwete of Tanzania. I was particularly pleased the following day to address more than 300 delegates attending a meeting on the SUN initiative, during which Ireland's international leadership on nutrition and hunger was fully recognised. The insistence by those present on giving particular recognition to Ireland's contribution was especially gratifying. I am fully committed to giving effect to the recommendations of the hunger task force and ensuring the fight to end extreme hunger and under-nutrition remains a key element of the aid programme in the years ahead.
Ireland has a long tradition of important and effective development work by non-governmental organisations working overseas, some of which are represented at this meeting. This work has been well recognised internationally and I affirm the importance of continuing to support these organisations and efforts of local civil society organisations in our programme countries. The organisations in question are hugely important, not only in responding to humanitarian crises but also in supporting longer-term development programmes. They play a very important role in holding governments to account for the effective use of resources and honouring the rights of their citizens.
Irish Aid channels a higher proportion of development assistance through the non-governmental sector than other international donors. In 2010, the Government, through Irish Aid, provided more than €125 million in funding to NGOs. Much of this funding is directed to Irish based NGOs. It is aimed at activities which are fully consistent with the central objective of the Government's aid programme to make an effective Irish contribution to the fight against global poverty and hunger. Funding is also provided to support NGOs working in the areas of emergency and humanitarian assistance and development education. Irish Aid has also provided €16 million this year to Misean Cara to support the work of Irish missionary organisations throughout the developing world. In line with our commitment to more effective and predictable aid many of these organisations benefit from multiannual funding agreements with Irish Aid, which allows them to plan in a long-term fashion.
Members will be aware that my remit as Minister of State involves responsibility not only for development assistance but also in the area of trade promotion. The joint committee will appreciate that achieving sustainable progress in the developing world is not a question of money alone. Aid must be combined with sound policies and good governance. Improvements in capital flows, private sector investment and trade have a vital role to play in reducing aid dependency. This morning I and some of those who are present at this meeting attended a meeting organised by Value Added Africa to discuss the need to ensure trade relationships benefit our programme countries and other countries in Africa.
Irish Aid has provided almost €19 million over the past five years to assist African partner countries in improving their capacity to trade. This is in addition to financial resources provided for the development of local business enterprises, through Traidlinks, and support fair trading opportunities for African businesses. African partners have increasingly expressed their desire for Ireland to increase trade as an important step in decreasing aid dependency. Every time I meet an ambassador of an African country he or she raises trade issues. In recent years, some Irish businesses have made very considerable investments in African countries and many more are recognising the real opportunities for trading with or making investments in a continent where economic growth has continued unabated in recent years. In response to these developments and to assist in the creation of trading opportunities for Irish businesses, the Tánaiste, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, two weeks ago launched the new Africa Strategy of the Department of Foreign Affairs at the Africa-Ireland Economic Forum in the Smurfit School of Business at UCD. The strategy identifies opportunities to build on 40 years of Ireland's development experience in Africa. While we expected about 100 of Ireland's leading companies to be represented at the forum, approximately 140 of them turned up to express an interest in exploring the opportunities for trade and business with Africa. There was much lively discussion among Irish business leaders and the African diplomatic community on the mutual benefits of increasing these linkages. The Department is committed supporting this process by harnessing the potential of our diplomatic network in Africa and the expertise of our State agencies. We want to ensure these opportunities are realised and African and Irish businesses and communities benefit from a more coherent, integrated approach to Ireland's relations with the African continent.
I referred to the importance of ensuring our overseas programme is responsive to the changing domestic and international economic and social context. I want to ensure our aid programme remains at the cutting edge of international practice in planning for the future and, in a very different domestic environment, the policies and programmes of Irish Aid remain relevant to the wishes of the Irish people. I also want to ensure we remain responsive to the considerable changes that are taking place in the countries where our aid is delivered. As part of this effort, I have initiated a review of the 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid. The review, which will be carried out over the coming year, will ensure we build on our international reputation for effective aid and maximise the contribution Ireland can make to the fight to end global poverty and hunger in light of developments at home and internationally over the past five years. It will give us a clear set of priorities for Ireland's development programme and our international policy approach in the run-up to 2015, when the success of the millennium development goals will be measured, and beyond.
Work on this review has already commenced and in the coming months I am planning that there will be discussions across Departments and consultations with the general public, the development community in Ireland and our partners in developing countries. I am also keen to ensure the Oireachtas, especially this committee, actively participates in this review. I intend that the final review report will be published in July next year. I would welcome a discussion on how I can engage with the joint committee on the review and how the committee views its role in contributing to the review.
To ensure strong independent oversight will be provided I have asked the Irish Aid expert advisory group to oversee the review of the White Paper. Established in 2010, the core function of the advisory group is to offer independent advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister of State with responsibility for trade and development on the aid programme. The group consists of five ordinary members and a chairperson, made up of a mix of national and international experts. In addition, one senior official from the Department of Finance is a member of the group in an ex officio capacity. The members were appointed by the Government in 2010 for a period of three years with the possibility of this term being extended up to a maximum of five years. I am very pleased that Ms Nora Owen agreed to take on the position of chairperson of the group in September 2011.
The review of the White Paper will be developed at a time when the international community is reviewing the quality of aid and making recommendations for strengthening the effectiveness of development co-operation in the years ahead. It is my intention to attend the high level forum on aid effectiveness, which will be held in Busan in Korea in November. I will ensure the outcome of this meeting can inform future directions for the Irish Aid programme. Some members of the joint committee may also attend the forum, which will assess progress on the role and contribution of aid in international development. It will bring together government representatives from the developing and the developed world, parliamentarians, civil society and others with an interest in strengthening the impact of aid. The forum will be an important opportunity to discuss the framework for development in the run-up to the 2015 target date for the millennium development goals and beyond.
Just ten days ago, I had the pleasure of launching the Irish Aid annual report for 2010. The report highlights, in general and specific terms, many of the improvements that have been made in the lives of the world's most vulnerable people as a result of our development co-operation programme. It explains how we are contributing to sustainable change in the lives of poor people, by targeting our aid carefully and working in partnership with our priority countries. I witnessed this in Malawi and Mozambique recently, where one can see how relatively simple and cost effective measures can make such an enormous difference in people's lives, such as access to primary school, availability of seeds to smallholder farmers and supporting local community organisations.
The challenge for all of us now is to ensure that the public funding made available for development co-operation is spent wisely and effectively and that every cent is used for the benefit of those who face poverty and hunger in our world. I look forward to working with this committee in the months ahead to ensure we can oversee this process effectively and look forward to engaging now on any questions members may have.
