Mr. Michael Gaffey:

I thank the Cathaoirleach and members of the committee very much. I welcome this opportunity to discuss the second Ireland’s Strategy for Partnership with Small Island Developing States, Ireland’s support for climate vulnerable countries and the priorities for our development programme in 2024.

The UN has designated this year as the international year for SIDS. This is, therefore, a timely opportunity to discuss Ireland’s new strategy. As the Cathaoirleach said, on 8 December in Dubai at the COP28 summit, the Tánaiste launched the second strategy at a meeting together with SIDS leaders and representatives, former President Mary Robinson, and the Minister, Deputy Ryan. The strategy reflects the commitment in the programme for Government to deepen Ireland’s relationships with these partners.

Our first strategy for partnership with SIDS was launched in 2019 with the objective of establishing a framework to develop our long-standing co-operation with SIDS at the UN and to support them in managing the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on them. That strategy led to the establishment of a range of educational and professional exchanges between Ireland and SIDS, increased engagement with regional organisations and climate partners, and significantly wider collaboration with SIDS at international level.

By 2022, most of the commitments in the strategy had been completed or were ongoing and we began the process of preparing a successor strategy. This was important to maintain the momentum in the partnership and to ensure the partnership reflected recent developments, including Ireland’s increased engagement in international climate action, the expansion of our diplomatic network as part of the Global Ireland initiative, and the priorities in our strategies for Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia-Pacific region.

Extensive consultations were undertaken across the Department of Foreign Affairs and across other Departments, with international partners and, most importantly, with representatives of these countries to the EU, UN and World Bank and those based in London. This enabled us to shape the second strategy around SIDS priorities and focus our actions on areas where Ireland can have a real impact.

The new strategy is structured around four interlinked areas: building our partnership, climate and oceans, capacity, and advocacy. Support for the preparation of the SIDS programme of action for 2024 to 2034 is one of the early implementation priorities given its importance for our SIDS partners. At COP28, the Tánaiste announced that Ireland is providing €1 million to support this process, with particular focus on the preparatory consultations for the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States to be held in May in Antigua and Barbuda, when the document will be finalised.

Following Ireland’s appointment as co-chair of the steering committee for SIDS partnerships at the UN for the period 2024 to 2025, we will be actively involved in conference preparations and mobilising new partnerships to support the implementation of this programme of action. This is consistent with our prominent roles in advocating for SIDS priorities at international level.

With regard to capacity building, we have established new regional partnerships to support adaptation in SIDS and to increase support for small-scale, locally led development projects. We are expanding our educational and professional exchanges and, through our Office for the Caribbean, we will be working to enhance our engagement with partners in this region.

Climate action is central to our relationship with small island developing states and reflects the commitment in A Better World: Ireland’s Policy for International Development to focus on those most vulnerable to climate change. Ireland’s major areas of climate collaboration with SIDS are in the areas of climate adaptation, loss and damage, and oceans.

A key ask from the SIDS has been climate finance for adaptation measures. Climate change adaptation has long been a key focus of Ireland’s international climate diplomacy and financing. We want to strengthen our engagement with SIDS on this issue.

The small island developing states cannot face climate challenges alone. It is a common challenge for us all, even if they are most severely and extremely impacted at this stage. The international community also needs to come up with solutions to address the impact of climate change on those most affected. As the planet heats up, Ireland continues to place a high priority on protection and restoration of the ocean, which is reflected in the second SIDS strategy.

In engaging with SIDS, Ireland works to understand their challenges and advocates for solutions. We also support a range of partners who tackle various climate challenges with SIDS. I will share three specific examples of this work.

We provide €2 million in support to the special climate change fund under the UNFCCC, building on our support to this multilateral fund to support SIDS in enhancing their national and regional capacity to adapt to climate change. This is specifically in the areas of addressing water stress due to sea level rise, climate resistance across coastal ecosystems and infrastructure and in agriculture and food systems. Interventions will also address human security and livelihoods.

Another example is that we will provide €1 million to the Systematic Observations Financing Facility, which supports the generation and international sharing of basic weather and climate observation. It prioritises support to small island developing states and least developed countries and has begun the first phase of its programme in all Pacific and Caribbean SIDS.

We will support the NGO, Climate-KIC, with €1.5 million for innovators and start-ups to scale up climate solutions in small island developing states and other developing countries. Through Climate-KIC, we support adaptation and innovation, female entrepreneurship and the sustainable blue economy, especially in SIDS. We also support Climate-KIC's ClimateLaunchpad, the world's largest green business ideas competition, which, through Ireland's support, has now been extended to numerous Pacific islands.

The agreement at COP28 in Dubai on a fund for loss and damage was a major development and one in which Ireland played a vital role, with significant advocacy on the vulnerability of SIDS. In our shared seat with Germany on the loss and damage transitional committee to prepare for the fund, Ireland worked particularly closely with small island developing states in trying to find agreement. Together, we proposed a minimum allocation floor for least developed countries and small island developing states within the fund, and this was agreed. Ireland has announced a major contribution of €25 million to the new loss and damage fund.

I should add that students from small island developing states have also benefited from the Ireland Fellows programme since 2020, with 16 fellows currently studying in Ireland in this academic year. This engagement has been an opportunity for shared learning on the impact of climate change. It is shared learning on our part as well, because I would say we have learned a lot from the small island developing states on the extreme impact of climate change.

More broadly, in addition to the existential threat of climate change, we live in a time of unprecedented overlapping global crises. Ireland is playing its part in response, but this is a moment for serious renewed commitment globally to a more effective multilateral system. Ireland's official development assistance, ODA, will amount to a total of just under €2 billion in 2024. This includes eligible first-year costs for Ukrainian refugees in Ireland. If these costs are excluded and we look at the non-refugee costs, the ODA figure will be just under €1.5 billion. This is the third year that ODA will exceed the €1 billion figure.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Government's aid programme. The allocation for Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs will be the highest ever at just over €775 million. A further €487 million is accounted for by the estimated ODA expenditure of other Departments and by Ireland's share of the allocation to the EU development co-operation budget, which is expected to amount to more than €350 million this year.

Of the €60 million in additional financial resources allocated to the Department of Foreign Affairs for ODA for this year, €30 million has been specified for international climate finance. In addition to support for small island developing states, this will include initiatives in Ethiopia on agroforestry and climate resilient livelihoods in Tigray, on energy solutions for poor households in Sierra Leone, and on climate smart agricultural practices in Malawi, where there will be co-operation with USAID.

We are making significant progress towards meeting the commitment to provide annual funding of at least €225 million in international climate finance by 2025. Of the increase, the remaining €30 million will be allocated to response to humanitarian crises, prolonged acute food and nutrition insecurity and the impact of the war in Ukraine. This is in addition to the level of funding we were able to provide last year, which will be maintained. Support will also be provided to those countries worldwide that are experiencing the destructive global knock-on effects of the conflict and other shocks. Of course we will maintain our strong response to humanitarian crises and conflict worldwide, which the committee may wish to discuss later.

Ireland's development co-operation will continue to have a primary focus on sub-Saharan Africa and least developed countries. It is managed through our embassy network across Africa. Approximately €160 million is allocated for bilateral support to countries in sub-Saharan Africa, while almost €17 million is allocated at this stage for the occupied Palestinian territories. I note that our assistance to the occupied Palestinian territories in 2023 amounted to the highest ever figure - €36 million - primarily because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

To respond effectively and in a timely manner to significant global need, the Department's 2024 allocation for emergency response and humanitarian assistance is set at just under €150 million, a substantial increase on the €120 million allocated in 2023. In the coming year, €100 million will be allocated to predominantly Irish NGOs in support of their long-term development programmes.

That is just a very quick run-through of the budget planning for this year. I and my colleagues are very happy to discuss these and any other issues relating to Ireland's development co-operation with the members of the committee today. I thank the committee.