Charlie O'Connor
Ceist:189 Mr. O’Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the implementation of the White Paper. [12112/07]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 28 March 2007
Ceisteanna (154)
Freagraí scríofa
The White Paper, published in September 2006, sets out the direction that the Irish Aid programme will take over the coming years and reiterates the key principles that underlie our development efforts. It builds on the experience gained over our 32-year history and charts the path for Ireland's contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
Many of the initiatives outlined in the White Paper are now underway and progressing successfully:
We are in the final stages of the first recruitment campaign for Ireland's Rapid Response Corps. Establishment of the Corps was a key element in the White Paper. We have had a very positive response to our call for skilled professionals to apply to join the Corps. Interviews are currently being conducted and training for successful applicants will begin at the end of April.
To further strengthen Ireland's response to disasters a new agreement has been reached with the World Food Programme, for the pre-positioning of emergency supplies at Brindisi, Italy, Accra in Ghana and at the Curragh. The Irish Aid-funded supplies are part of an international network of bases designed to respond to major crises within 48 hours of needs being declared.
In the coming weeks the first meeting of the Interdepartmental Committee on Development recommended in the White Paper will take place. The Committee will strengthen coherence in the Government's overall approach to development and will ensure best use is made of the range of expertise and skills available across the civil service.
I will shortly announce the terms of reference and membership for the Hunger Task Force. The task force, made up of Irish and international experts, will examine the particular contribution that Ireland can make to tackling the root causes of chronic food insecurity and hunger, particularly in Africa.
A key decision of the White Paper was to increase the number of partner countries in which Irish Aid works. Malawi was recently designed as our ninth partner country and a development cooperation programme is expected to begin there shortly.
Increasing public understanding and awareness of the work of Irish Aid was another key decision in the White Paper. Last month a summary of the White Paper was distributed to every home in the country. We have had a very positive response. Over the past couple of months, over 50,000 people have downloaded the White Paper and traffic on the Irish Aid website has nearly tripled. Later this year, Irish Aid will open an Information and Volunteering Centre on Dublin's O'Connell Street. The centre will be an important resource for people interested in volunteering and in development issues more broadly.
Irish Aid is also working to implement the key decisions in the White Paper in areas such as good governance, investing in social and productive sectors and in conflict prevention and peace-building to ensure that our programme is as effective as possible in tackling poverty and promoting the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Full implementation of all the initiatives in the White Paper is ongoing but we have made good progress to date. The White Paper has set down a clear roadmap as the development assistance budget increases significantly over the coming years.