Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 October 2018
64. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which international aid is co-ordinated to ensure that the intended recipients receive from the donors all that was intended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40550/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland’s aid programme is delivered through a wide range of partners and channels, including partner government systems, Irish and international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and missionary organisations, the EU, and the UN and other multilateral agencies and organisations.
Programmes considered for funding assistance are rigorously appraised using clear criteria, including alignment with our core policy priorities, efficiency in the use of resources, cost effectiveness, accountability, and sustainability of intended impact. Irish officials continually coordinate with implementing partners and beneficiaries to ensure that Irish development assistance continues to have transformative impacts and, where possible, benefits from the network effects of collective, coordinated actions.
The area of greatest Irish concentration is Sub-Saharan Africa, where we direct assistance to the poorest communities, particularly but not exclusively in Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Ireland also engages in Vietnam and neighbouring countries.
Our Embassy network coordinates with national and local governments on the design of development policies and strategies, and works with other bilateral donors in coordination structures in country to ensure that there is maximum collective impact. These contacts also ensure that each bilateral donor acts in complementarity, with an eye to where each has comparative advantage. In addition, these coordination structures allow all those involved to ensure effective implementation against agreed benchmarks.
In Ireland, we support coordination mechanisms among Irish NGOs and missionary organisations to maximise impact in their countries of activity.
We engage with UN and multilateral agencies whose core mission and objectives are closely aligned to Ireland’s aid priorities, allowing us to work with and support vulnerable communities across most developing countries. Programmes in receipt of funding are subject to regular internal and external monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the intended objectives and goals are being achieved - for example using the Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN) evaluations which every year focus on a number of multilateral organisations.
Ireland also plays a strong role in the relevant management structures of our multilateral partners, for example as Board Members of UNDP and UNFPA this year. In addition, we use our Embassy network, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, to monitor the work of multilateral partners on the ground and ensure that aid reaches the targeted population.
In addition to development assistance, Ireland leads in humanitarian response, including to the ongoing Syria crisis and also to the situation in the Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as to emergencies as they arise. We coordinate with the United Nations system, country governments and international partners to ensure the most effective collective actions to reduce suffering. In this regard, Ireland has this year taken the chair of the donor support group which supports the Office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator (OCHA).
