Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 October 2010
116 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Irish Government is on track to meet its commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on overseas development aid by 2015 as promised as part of our commitment to the millennium development goals. [36134/10]
Amharc ar fhreagra130 Deputy Jan O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide an up to date position on Ireland’s solemn pledge to commit 0.7% of national income towards overseas development aid; what the current percentage is; the stage at which, given the current trend, he expects we will fulfil our promise to the poorest of the poor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36109/10]
Amharc ar fhreagra135 Deputy Emmet Stagg asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the Government will make its pledge to reach 0.7% of GDP spending on overseas development aid real by ringfencing ODA from spending cuts, as the UK Government has done; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36115/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 116, 130 and 135 together.
Ireland played an important international role at the Millennium Development Goals Review Summit in New York last month in cooperation with our EU partners, with the US Administration and with our partner countries in the developing world. The Government is committed to working in close cooperation with our partners in order to achieve the ambitious development goals established by the international community for the period 2000 to 2015. We are committed to the UN target to provide 0.7% of Gross National Product to Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 2015. The EU has committed to collectively meeting the UN target by 2015, and has set an interim target of 0.51% for Ireland and other Member States in 2010.
This year, the Government is providing a total of €671 million for ODA. On current projections, this will amount to at least 0.52% of GNP, exceeding the EU interim target. Last year, Ireland was the seventh most generous aid donor in the world in per capita terms. We are ahead of most other EU Member States in our progress towards the achievement of the international ODA target in 2015.
The economic crisis of the past two years has required very difficult decisions across all areas of public expenditure, including the allocations for ODA. The sole motivation for these decisions has been the need to restore stability to the public finances, in order to create the conditions for a resumption of economic growth. Stable public finances and sustained growth in our own economy are the indispensable bases for the resumption of sustainable growth in the aid programme. Deputies are aware of the extent of the challenge facing the Government in framing the Budget for 2011. Decisions in relation to ODA will be taken in the light of our commitment to restoring growth to the Irish economy and to playing our part in the effort to achieve the MDGs.
The Government's aid programme is the Irish people's aid programme. We can be justifiably proud that it continues to receive strong international recognition for its quality and effectiveness and for its sharp focus on the poorest countries and communities in sub-Saharan Africa.
ODA is an essential element, but not the sole element, in a country's contribution to international development and the achievement of the MDGs. The global economic crisis has simultaneously increased the needs of the poorest countries and the pressure on aid budgets across the developed world. In these circumstances, it is clear that we must focus rigorously on the effectiveness of the aid we provide, and on key priorities. In Ireland's case, we are taking an international lead on the global hunger crisis and have been recognised by the OECD as champions in making aid more effective and working in a spirit of genuine partnership with our Programme Countries. Just last week, the influential Centre for Global Development in Washington recognised Ireland as among the best donors in the world across all measures of quality of aid provided. The Government is committed to maintaining the high quality of Ireland's aid programme, and its focus on the fight against global poverty and hunger, so that we make a strong national contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
