Ms Jane-Ann McKenna:

I think there is. The partnership approach is something we are very much in support of. From my experience of working with the global health team in the HSE, significant partnerships have been created between hospitals in the global south and hospitals in Ireland. We see an exchange of expertise and ideas, and a meaningful level of engagement and expertise sharing that is extremely valuable.

The Deputy asked about locally led development. Irish Aid and our organisation are both celebrating our 50th anniversaries. Things have changed over the past 50 years in terms of how we deliver assistance and what we have learned during that process. As a sector, broadly speaking donors, civil society organisations like ours and multinational organisations need to be far more progressive in terms of enabling local actors to set the development agenda and ensure they have the support needed to develop and implement local solutions to local issues and build capacity, leadership and resilience at a local level.

It is not just about local civil society organisations, although we do believe they are very important. It is about working with local people on the ground who are directing where they want the investment to go. We need to be far more progressive within our aid policy and as a sector in terms of shifting the balance to ensure we enable and resource local communities to provide solutions for themselves.