Pádraic McCormack
Ceist:92 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the current priority countries for overseas development aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7626/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 8 March 2005
Ceisteanna (61, 62)
Brian O'Shea
Ceist:127 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on progress made towards expanding the Development Co-operation Ireland programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7717/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 127 together.
Ireland's development programme is over 30 years old. It delivers aid to some of the poorest countries in the world. Aid is delivered through bilateral, direct government-to-government assistance and through multilateral organisations.
The bilateral part of the Irish aid programme is concentrated in a number of countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. These countries, known as the programme countries, are Lesotho, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Timor Leste. Following a decision by the Government in late 2003, Vietnam will be added to the list, bringing the total number of countries to eight.
The first three of the countries, Lesotho, Zambia and Tanzania, were chosen in the 1970s in each case following representations from their then leaders who argued convincingly that they were hugely disadvantaged as frontline states by the apartheid related divisions in southern Africa. In the 1990s, in line with expansion in the aid programme, consideration was given to increasing the number of countries and a poverty needs assessment was carried out on a number of countries, arising from which it was decided to add three of the world's poorest countries to the list, Ethiopia, Uganda and Mozambique. For similar reasons, Timor Leste was added in 2003.
A high level review of the aid programme in 2002/03, the Ireland Aid Review, recommended that consideration be given to the inclusion of one of the countries of South East Asia. Following an examination of the recommendation over two years, a proposal was put to Government late last year recommending that Vietnam be selected as the eighth programme country, acting as a centre for the management of both an aid programme in Vietnam itself and to address the needs in the two neighbouring poor countries, Laos and Cambodia.
In all of the existing programme countries there is a broad based development programme focused on poverty reduction and economic development and driven by the need to make progress on the millennium development goals. Country programmes focus on assistance in education and health, including in the war on HIV-AIDS, on water and sanitation, rural access roads and the promotion of good governance.
As the allocations for the aid programme continue to expand, consideration will be given to assisting further programme countries. As noted by the OECD in its last peer review of the Irish programme, the geographic concentration which Ireland is able to bring to its bilateral engagement is a significant advantage and expansion should be approached carefully. Ireland has taken this advice on board and will consult widely with aid stakeholders in consideration of any new programme countries. This issue will be among those considered in the White Paper process.