Ms Jane-Ann McKenna:

My colleagues and I will try to address the questions. I ask the Chair to remind me if we miss something.

On the point made by Senator Joe O'Reilly, there is a significant amount of support for ODA in Ireland. We know from recent research that 74% of people feel that Ireland's commitment to ODA is very important. There is a very strong level of support, which many of my colleagues will verify in terms of the level of support that we receive from donors. There is also a great deal of public support for our civil society organisations and our efforts in terms of overseas aid.

On the SDG summit in September, we would like to see Ireland put together its own pathway for SDG implementation. That is a vital part of the preparation we must do ourselves. We want to see, within that, how Ireland will reach the people who are furthest behind. That will give us a strong standpoint to go for in terms of advocating for the commitments to be upheld for women, girls, people with disabilities and those who are furthest behind.

One of the key roles to play with regard to the geopolitical shifts and changes is around ensuring not only that we retain the commitment to the SDGs at this political declaration in September, but also that the underlying principles with regard to human rights and the respect of dignity for all are protected, that we retain the key principles that were agreed and that we put key moments into action as to how we are going to work together on this.

I will hand over to Ms Van Lieshout to say a little on the question of debt. There have been areas in which reducing the debt burden has perhaps had a positive impact. She might also speak to her experience in ensuring local organisations can accept funding through civil society organisations, which is key to navigating access in very difficult circumstances. For example, in Afghanistan and Sudan today we see the vital importance of civil society organisations that have that level of proximity to the local communities.