Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
727. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures he will be implementing under Budget 23 to increase overseas aid to reach the target of 0.7% of GNI in overseas aid in line with commitments in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42667/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to achieving the UN Official Development Assistance target of 0.7% of GNI by 2030, as set out in A Better World, Ireland's International Development policy and, also, in the Programme for Government.
Continued and steady increases in ODA allocations year-on-year are required to enable the 2030 target to be achieved. In Budget 2022, the Government allocated €1.044 billion to Official Development Assistance. This is a 20% increase on the 2021 allocation, and the highest ever amount allocated to ODA by any Government. In the context of competing budgetary pressures, achieving this amount was an important statement by the Government of Ireland's solidarity with the developing world.
Ireland's development programme has a strong global reputation. This reputation was confirmed by OECD in its 2020 Peer Review of Ireland’s Development Assistance. The need to continue to increase Ireland's allocation to ODA in GNI percentage terms must be balanced against the need to responsibly manage the large cash increases required, such that the quality of Ireland's programme is maintained. The increase for 2022, for example, is €176 million or 20.3% of overall ODA - a huge increase in real terms - and my Department has responded through improved monitoring systems, strengthened inter-Departmental coordination on international development issues, and through continuing engagement with international partners.
