Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is always good to be back. I would like to join with those expressing good wishes to Senator Norris. It is always a shock to hear about these things. I would also like to thank Martin Groves and welcome Brian Hickey to the committee.

I welcome the opportunity today to brief the committee on the Government's new policy for international development, One World, One Future, and to debrief it on the discussions at the development segment of the Foreign Affairs Council last May which marked the culmination of over one year of planning for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. I propose to begin by outlining the new development policy and then to proceed to the Council conclusions which are the outcome of our priorities for the Presidency.

The 2011 programme for Government included a commitment to review the White Paper on Irish Aid. The review entailed a comprehensive period of reflection, listening and learning. It sought to examine the progress made by the aid programme over the past six years and to review the changing context in Ireland and overseas in which we operate. The review aimed to establish clear priorities to guide the Government's overseas aid programme in the years ahead. The review reached more than 1,000 people, as the Chairman mentioned, directly through public consultation meetings throughout the country and overseas. Over 160 written submissions were received, including from members of this committee and the parties they represent. The review involved meetings with NGOs, the private sector and other interested groups in Ireland and was discussed in this committee, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs and the Seanad on several occasions. I thank those who participated in the review and made it such a vibrant process. I also acknowledge the Irish Aid expert advisory group chaired by Nora Owen, a former Minister for Justice, and I thank her for the important independent and oversight role that she and her committee played in the review.

Due to the extensive and systematic nature of this review I am confident that our new policy, One World, One Future, presents a clear direction for Ireland's role in international development in the years ahead. First and foremost, this new policy sets out a framework to guide our thematic engagement in development over the coming years, a framework that will help bring greater coherence to our work and better enable us to plan for, and measure more comprehensively, the results our development efforts are achieving. Through our vision we are clear about the bigger picture and about what we as a member of the international community are ultimately contributing towards. To reach our three goals we have identified six priority areas for action around which we will plan and manage our resources. Our core values of accountability, human rights, equality, coherence, sustainability, partnership, effectiveness, and results will underpin those plans. We have a single vision, three goals and six implementation measures in a document that is 36 pages long and therefore is ready for action rather than gathering dust on a shelf.

Achieving food and nutritional security is now centre stage in our thematic framework in light of the leading role we have played on hunger globally. Recognising the multidimensional nature of poverty and hunger, we are placing greater emphasis on the interconnections between the different priority areas for action. Within this policy framework we are also signalling an evolution in our approach by increasing our focus on responding to situations of what we call fragility - that is, conflict and post-conflict situations - giving even more attention to human rights and climate change and ensuring that greater emphasis is laid on promoting inclusive and equitable economic growth. In responding to crises in Syria and Mali over recent months and examining the statistics on progress towards the millennium development goals, MDGs, a greater focus on situations of fragility is an imperative. Our commitment includes the announcement that Sierra Leone has been designated a new key partner country for the Government. Also central to this is how best to link relief, recovery and development. Over time we will examine how best to increase our overall engagement with countries experiencing instability and fragility.

Human rights have always been of central importance to our foreign policy, but by committing to re-energise our approach in this area we are stating clearly that matters of non-discrimination, empowerment, accountability, participation and equality must be at the heart of all our development efforts. In many respects the human rights agenda is about protecting and empowering the most vulnerable. We will now work towards increasing our response to disability and further addressing the root causes of gender inequality, an issue that will be dealt with across our six priority areas for action. Another area that will receive greater attention is climate change, perhaps the most pressing issue facing poor countries today. Achieving the balance between the economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainable development is now critical. In addition, the new policy emphasises that in our pursuit of poverty reduction we need to attach greater importance to supporting inclusive economic growth by promoting trade, jobs and development in the private sector and the ability of developing countries to finance their own development.

Building on the agenda set by the Department's Africa strategy, we recognise that now is the time to engage in more rounded partnerships with Africa. A small but significant change in this regard is how we refer to countries with which we work closely. These are now no longer programme countries but key partner countries. Bearing in mind the different circumstances and stages of development in the nine partner countries, where appropriate we must seize the opportunity to increase trade and investment opportunities for Irish companies. Through the Department and its embassies across Africa and Vietnam and in close co-operation with Enterprise Ireland and other agencies and business associations, we have committed ourselves to helping with the research, the networking and the groundwork that can identify and facilitate two-way trade and investment between Ireland and Africa. As the Minster for Foreign Affairs and Trade said at the launch of this policy, this will be good for our partner countries and it will also be good for us.

Moving beyond the policy framework which governs what we do, One World, One Future also signals changes in the way we do things. We are clear in this policy that aid alone will not solve the problems of poverty and hunger. Our contribution is not just financial, through the assistance we provide; we also have a strong voice on the international stage which we will continue to use. We have in Ireland a clear capacity in our people and institutions which we will harness. We already have important partnerships with Irish research institutions, the Irish Human Rights Commission and others and in this new policy we signal a volunteering initiative which we will bring to fruition over the coming months. This initiative will modernise the way we support volunteering, including the compilation of a database of volunteers to provide better quality information on potential placements, including with NGOs and the United Nations, which will harness the experience of Irish people and institutions to the benefit of institutions in developing countries. Importantly, the policy recognises strongly our ability to contribute to good development outcomes not just through our foreign policy but also through policies right across Government. That is why this policy applies to all Departments and commits to strengthening the whole-of-government approach. This will include improving the workings of the interdepartmental committee on development and, with it, the submission of a biennial report to the Oireachtas on progress made in addressing policy incoherence and promoting greater collaboration across Government. It must also be recognised, however, that this new policy has been formulated in very difficult circumstances in Ireland and across Europe. In 2013, however, it reflects a huge commitment by the Government to ensure overseas development assistance remains an important policy priority and that this is reflected in annual budgetary allocations.

We have recognised that our spending on overseas aid must be fully transparent, providing maximum value for money and delivering positive results in the lives of those whom it is targeting. Accountability will be central to this, and we have set out clearly in this policy to whom we are accountable, and how.

In particular, we will also be encouraging even greater partnership and oversight by the Oireachtas in all that we do, including through engagement with this committee. We will also continue to demand high standards from those through whom we channel aid funding, namely NGOs, multilateral organisations, key partner country governments and others. In this regard, we will continue to work with partners that have a proven ability to deliver high-quality programmes and that deliver results for poor communities. Our partnership with Irish-based NGOs, with Irish missionary groups and with Irish institutions, including in the area of education, will remain an important dimension of the programme and will have a particular emphasis on demonstrating value for money and delivering results.

We will also focus on increasing public engagement with the aid programme and identifying ways by which the diaspora groups from developing countries can contribute their knowledge and experience in a manner that benefits the aid programme. The implementation of this policy will help us to focus on where we can make the most difference and will rationalise our efforts in that regard. Over the coming months we will work on the implementation plans necessary to put our new policy into action. I propose to retrace my steps on the consultation process and will be travelling to Cork and Limerick. We are very anxious to hear the views of the committee on the implementation process for our new policy. A broad-based consultation process was carried out and we want similar input from those who made proposals about the new policy. We also want to hear their views on how it will be implemented. If members have an opportunity over the summer to think about the matter, either individually or as a committee, it would be much appreciated.

This new policy will mark the beginning of a fresh chapter in Ireland's international development aid. We begin this chapter with the confidence that there is much to build on, including a strong commitment in Irish society, at all levels, to making a difference in the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people with whom we work.

I will now deal with the development segment of the Foreign Affairs Council which I attended in Brussels on 28 May. The meeting was attended by Ministers of the 28 member states, including Croatia, the development and environment Commissioners, Mr. Piebalgs and Mr. Potočnik, and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton. The development Council meets only once in each Presidency and so marks, to a large degree, the culmination of the Presidency’s efforts in the area of international development co-operation. It was with this in mind that we agreed with the High Representative, as Chair of the Council, to schedule the development Council late in Ireland’s Presidency and to convene the meeting as a stand-alone half-day session on 28 May. This allowed Ireland, in its role of Presidency, to work with the EEAS to prepare a substantive agenda for the meeting and provided EU development Ministers with significantly more time to discuss agenda items in full. This is the first occasion in the history of the Council conclusions that a separate day has been set aside to deal with the development sector of the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions.

The main issue in the international development agenda is a replacement for the millennium development goals, which were agreed in 2000 and are due to expire in 2015. Establishing a new development framework is crucial and this is reflected in the intensity and range of discussions taking place across the world, in the European Union, at the high-level panel appointed by the UN Secretary General, at the UN open working group on the sustainable development goals and at the 11 thematic and 50 or more country dialogues being organised by the UN across the world. We identified at an early stage in our preparations for the Presidency that EU engagement in this global discussion was essential and that Ireland, as holder of the Presidency during this crucial period, would be well placed to shape and focus the EU’s position, particularly with regard to the UN special event on the millennium development goals in September. The special event will be one of the last opportunities for international leaders to review progress being made in advance of the 2015 target date and will be a starting point for considering what will happen after 2015. Working with the EU High Representative, the Irish Presidency negotiated a coherent and effective EU position on what a post-2015 framework might be. The position was endorsed by EU development and environment Ministers before finally being adopted this week at the General Affairs Council, which was chaired by the Tánaiste. The EU position sets out the important building blocks that the EU considers essential for a robust and ambitious framework, while at the same time signalling that we are willing to engage with our partners to understand their views with the aim of working together to build consensus.

In May last year, the development Council welcomed the new EU development policy proposed by the Commission, namely, Agenda for Change. One year on we reviewed at Council how the EU’s new policy has been implemented over the past year. Discussions focused on a paper jointly prepared by the Commission and the EEAS which noted progress in accountability, the concentration of EU development assistance in programming, the next multi-annual financial framework period from 2014 to 2020, and budget support. The paper also noted that following discussions in partner countries, EU joint programming will begin in an additional 36 countries, bringing to over 40 the number of countries in which EU joint programming will be operational before the end of 2016. From the outset, Ireland has been a strong supporter of the direction of the Agenda for Change policy. Much of the provisions correlate closely with our own development policy, particularly the commitments to the eradication of poverty, tackling hunger, improving the effectiveness of our development assistance, a strong focus on human rights and ensuring that development assistance is focused on those most in need. I reaffirmed our continued support for the work of the Commission and the EEAS in implementing the Agenda for Change policy. I also noted our continued commitment to EU joint programming and the requirement to ensure that EU development assistance is focused on those regions, countries and communities most in need.

Tackling global hunger, and particularly the scourge of under-nutrition, has been a central focus of the Irish Presidency. The global community has made some good progress under the millennium development goals, but the reality is that one billion people still live in extreme poverty and 870 million people live with hunger. To highlight the interlinked challenges of hunger, under-nutrition and the impact of climate change, the Tánaiste and former President Mary Robinson last April co-hosted a conference focusing on how best to address these challenges. The conference was attended by President Higgins, the former US Vice-President Al Gore, the EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, other decision-makers from across the EU and UN and more than 100 grassroots representatives from across the developing world. A number of members of this committee were also in attendance.

At the development Council, Ministers adopted conclusions that will help ensure the EU and its member states implement our policy commitments on under-nutrition and food insecurity and that we are held accountable for them. The conclusions also endorsed the new EU food and nutrition security implementation plan developed in close co-operation with member states, including Ireland. It sets out how the EU and its member states will deliver on and implement the policy priority commitments of the 2010 EU food security policy, the new 2013 EU nutrition policy and other relevant EU external assistance policies, and how these policy commitments are to be translated into action over the period 2014 to 2020. Honouring our pledges will help us to ensure we can realise in our lifetime the vision of a world free from hunger and under-nutrition, a world where all children get the chance to survive, to grow, and to reach their full potential.

A priority during Ireland's Presidency was to promote better linkages between relief, recovery and development and to increase the focus on building the resilience of the most vulnerable individuals, families, communities and nations. The increasing frequency and intensity of disasters is a major threat to long-term development and to the economic progress of poor people in developing countries. These efforts at the Development Council culminated in the adoption of conclusions on a new EU approach to building the resilience of the most vulnerable communities in the poorest developing countries in order to ensure closer collaboration between the EU’s humanitarian and development arms.

As we see from the European Union's flagship resilience initiatives in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, a common approach is more effective than separate, fragmented approaches.

There was a brief discussion on the EU's overseas development aid programme at the Council meeting, with the development Commissioner, Mr. Andris Piebalgs, noting the downward trend in the collective contribution. This is the second year running in which collective ODA has declined. It is important to note, however, that despite the economic difficulties member states are facing, the EU collectively continues to deliver more than 50% of global official development assistance to developing countries, with a total figure in excess of €55 billion in 2012. Development Ministers adopted conclusions at the development Council reaffirming the collective commitment of the European Union and its member states to all their individual and collective ODA commitments, taking into account the exceptional budgetary circumstances we face.

For Ireland, it is a very significant achievement that the Government has managed, in the most difficult of circumstances, broadly to stabilise our levels of ODA. We are strongly committed to Ireland's overseas aid programme and its centrality to our foreign policy. This is made clear in our new policy on international development, One World, One Future, which also restates the programme for Government commitment to achieving the United Nations target of providing 0.7% of GDP for official development assistance.

There were also short exchanges at the Council regarding the role of local authorities in development assistance, the 11th European Development Fund, and EU policy coherence for development, PCD, in advance of the publication of a biannual report on this issue later this year. We were joined at lunch by the United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Jan Eliasson, for an exchange of views on the situation post-2015, with particular reference to Afghanistan and Burma/Myanmar. In my capacity as representative of the Presidency, I presented the European Council position on the issues we had debated and agreed.

Having outlined the Government's new development policy and set out the main issues under consideration by the development segment of the Foreign Affairs Council in May, I will be happy to address any questions members might have. I thank them for their attention to my rather lengthy account.