Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 June 2021
285. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of bilateral aid programmes currently being progressed by Irish Aid; the extent to which they continue to make a difference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34215/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIrish Aid currently has 11 bilateral programmes. There are nine in sub-Saharan African countries: Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia; with two further bilateral programmes in Vietnam and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
A number of the Embassies in these countries support development work in countries of secondary accreditation as well, for example, from South Africa we support development work in Zimbabwe.
These programmes continue to make a difference in partner countries. Results and key lessons from our bilateral programmes are included in the Irish Aid annual report. Importantly, these programmes also make a valuable contribution to our multilateral development work, as they provide us with on-the-ground information about the challenges developing countries are facing and knowledge about possible solutions that can be supported at scale by the likes of the UN and the World Bank.
