Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to present the 2017 Revised Estimate for Vote 27, international co-operation, as well as to briefly outline our plans for the current year. Last May I was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora and international development and have greatly valued the work and advice of this committee in the period since.

Vote 27 funds about 80% of Ireland's official development assistance, ODA, programme, better known to the public as Irish Aid. The Vote provides the funding necessary to deliver on the Department's high level goal to work towards a fairer, more just, secure and sustainable world. This year the Government has provided €651 million in official development assistance, an increase of €10 million on last year's allocation. The increase builds on the momentum started in 2016 in increasing budget allocations for official development assistance in a measured and sustainable way. It also represents a clear demonstration of the Government's firm commitment to the aid programme. In the past year we have consistently reaffirmed our commitment to making progress towards achieving the UN target of providing 0.7% of gross national product, GNP, as official development assistance. The programme for Government makes our position clear that we will make progress towards the target as resources permit. As economic recovery consolidates, we have begun to increase ODA allocations and hope to continue to deliver on this commitment into the future. Our ambition is to continue to make sustainable progress towards the UN target in line with the commitment we have made with our fellow EU member states to collectively reach the UN target of 0.7% of GNP by 2030. I recognise the challenge the target presents and look forward to engaging with the committee on our common commitment to achieving it.

Over 80% of Irish Aid's funding is provided in sub-Saharan Africa where needs are greatest. The priority we attach to Africa is also a wider European one, given the increasing connections and the common pressures facing the two continents. In July I visited Uganda and in December, Kenya. I saw how Ireland's aid programme was sharply focused on helping vulnerable people in the poorest regions from Karamoja to Adjumani in northern Uganda to Samburu County in northern Kenya. I also had the privilege of visiting several inspiring projects run by Irish missionary organisations in Kenya, as well as meeting Irish missionaries who have made such a remarkable contribution to Africa and developing an empathy with it among the Irish people. I also saw how our embassies integrated their work across all areas, from building trade to political, cultural and people-to-people links between Ireland and Africa.

The committee will be aware of the daunting, unprecedented scale of humanitarian need globally. Over 128 million people in 33 countries around the world are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, with 65 million displaced from their homes. The United Nations requires $22.2 billion in 2017 to reach the most vulnerable, five times the amount required a decade ago. The humanitarian crises we face are the result of natural disaster, climate change, drought, wars and conflict. The conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen will remain among the greatest drivers of prolonged humanitarian needs in 2017. I will travel to Lebanon and Jordan in the coming weeks to assess the impact and the humanitarian response. The officials in the Department will be more than happy to facilitate a visit by the committee.