Dr. Róisín Hinds:

Absolutely. Aid money should be about alleviating poverty and reducing vulnerability. There are examples of aid money being used to facilitate mobility especially across border regions, where, for instance, pastoralists may need to cross a border to access livelihood options. That is a positive example of how aid money can be spent to encourage livelihoods through migration if needed. There are also very negative examples. For instance the EU trust fund for Africa has funded support to the Libyan coast guard, which is about the detention and reception of people who are in vulnerable situations and are trying to seek safety in Europe. I completely agree with the Senator - the purpose of aid is to reduce vulnerability and alleviate poverty, and that is where the focus should be. It should not be on stopping people who are in need of safety from reaching it.