Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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Apologies have been received from Deputy Eamon Scanlon, who cannot be with us today.

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with responsibility for international development and our diaspora, Deputy Neale Richmond. This gives the committee an opportunity to explore the implementation of the sustainable development goals, SDGs, internationally, most notably in areas involving humanitarian development aid. Of course, the focus is on EU-level implementation and the efforts undertaken in conjunction with the EU institutions and their agencies.

Before we start, I will read the notice on privilege. I remind witnesses of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable, or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if their statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, I will direct them to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that they comply with any such direction.

Members are reminded of the parliamentary practice that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against any person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I remind members of the constitutional requirement that they must by physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex in order to participate in public meetings. A member will not be permitted to participate where they are not adhering to this constitutional requirement. Therefore, any member who attempts to participate from outside the precincts will be asked to leave the meeting. In this regard, I ask any member taking part via MS Teams that, prior to making their contribution to the meeting, they confirm they are on the grounds of the Leinster House campus.

We will begin with the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond's, opening statement and he will have five minutes.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat, Leas-Chathaoirleach, and I am very grateful to him and the members of the committee for giving me the opportunity to engage with the joint committee on the implementation of the SDGs internationally. Ireland is proud of our long and ongoing commitment to the SDGs. The committee will be aware that, in 2015, together with Kenya, Ireland played a leading role in building consensus and agreement on Agenda 2030 and the SDGs. We built on this experience at the UN in 2023 when, alongside Qatar, we co-facilitated negotiations on the SDG summit’s political declaration.

However, and as is also no doubt to the forefront of the committee’s considerations, there is real cause for concern about the implementation of the SDGs globally. The latest SDG global progress report by the UN highlights that only one in five of the SDG targets are fully on track. Almost half have seen marginal or no progress at all. Alarmingly, a further 18% have regressed since 2015. There are of course many factors in this regression or reversal of progress, including the impact of the Covid pandemic. We cannot ignore that significant cuts to development budgets are now being implemented globally. These cuts will inevitably set back progress on the SDGs further and will fall hardest on those who are furthest behind. According to the OECD, the least developed countries are projected to see up to a 25% fall in net bilateral overseas development assistance, ODA, in 2025. I am very conscious that, with 2030 just five years away, the global path towards successfully achieving the SDGs is narrowing significantly. This is emerging as an issue of trust by many developing countries, which are also often constrained by crippling debt levels.

I assure the committee that it remains a whole-of-government priority for Ireland to play its part. We are increasing our ODA budget for 2026. The budget for Irish Aid, managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, will increase to €840.3 million, its highest ever level. The SDGs are fully integrated into Ireland's international development programme, A Better World, in which leaving no one behind is central. Our headline priorities aim to reduce humanitarian need, support climate action, promote gender equality and strengthen governance. As a committed member of the European Union, it is also deeply important for Ireland that the European Union meets its commitments to implement the SDGs in all policies and to deliver a better future by the 2030 deadline.

The EU and its member states are now the world’s largest provider of overseas development assistance, accounting for 42% of global ODA. The implications of this are clear. As the 2030 deadline approaches, the EU has a pivotal role to play. Ireland is working closely in the EU to ensure that this role is fulfilled and that commitments are met, including in co-ordinating support to the United Nations and other development and humanitarian partners. This year, the EU Commission published its proposals for the next multiannual financial framework, MFF, which will run from 2028 to 2034. In this new MFF, the proposed global Europe instrument is a significant merger of major instruments including external action, enlargement, neighbourhood, development co-operation and humanitarian assistance. It reflects that in an increasingly complex and fragmented world, the EU's global agenda aims to work with partners globally on issues of mutual interest, and in doing so to protect EU interests. I believe strongly that in reflecting a new global way of working, there should be no trade-off between EU values and interests. This is a false dichotomy. The EU has a clear vested interest in ensuring it is making a substantive and sustained contribution towards a more stable, prosperous and equal world, while also working to protect EU interests. In line with this, Ireland believes that the next MFF must maintain the EU’s leadership in providing development and humanitarian assistance in a sustained, long-term manner with global partners. We welcome the proposed target that 90% of the global Europe spend should be official development assistance. Ongoing support for the least developed countries and fragile states remains central to Ireland’s priorities. Allowing countries already lagging behind to stagnate or fall even further behind risks undermining progress made globally or regionally, leading to instability, conflict and forced displacement of people.

The EU is a key humanitarian actor, providing shelter, food, health and education services. In the MFF, we wish to ensure dedicated funding for humanitarian assistance. The EU’s global gateway strategy is now a defining feature of how the EU implements global engagement. This strategy sets out a programme of investment supports while enhancing EU private sector involvement. Successful global gateway implementation can make an important contribution to SDG implementation in areas such as supporting inclusive economic growth, including building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive industrialisation and fostering innovation. The SDGs also aim to promote full and productive employment and decent work for all. As the EU continues to develop global gateway, Ireland will maintain that it must be driven primarily by the needs of partner countries and must provide opportunities for local private sector growth.

The SDGs set out an interlinked framework, which demonstrates clearly that in order to make sustainable progress on, for example, economic growth, there is a need for commensurate progress on a range of other issues, including human development, climate change, peace and stability, rule of law and strong institutions. We know that more equal societies, where women can actively engage in both economic and political life, are more likely to achieve sustainable prosperity. Hence the importance of SDG goal 5 on gender equality, which remains at the core of Ireland’s positioning in all we do, including implementing A Better World and negotiating the next MFF.

Maintaining the EU’s commitment to ODA is a core priority for Ireland and the target of 0.7% of GNI to ODA must remain central to the EU’s global engagement. Of course, ODA is of itself far from sufficient to address the challenges of global poverty and inequality. Hence the important SDG focused on mobilising private sector finance which underpins the global gateway strategy.

The sustainable development goals build on decades of work by the UN and countries across the world. Today, the need to reinvigorate the multilateral system and support UN reform efforts under the UN80 initiative is crucial. We must ensure the UN is focused, fit for purpose and ready to deliver on the promises of the 2030 agenda. These are the key issues for Ireland as we work with the EU and other member states, including during our Presidency next year, to shape the future direction of the EU’s external action and find consensus on a new global Europe. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to present here this afternoon and I look forward to engaging with any questions from members.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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That was a comprehensive report. A couple of Oireachtas Members have already indicated that they would like to speak. We are going to take three at a time. When we came in, a couple of people showed early. Deputy Michael Murphy will start, followed by Deputies Gogarty and Ó Murchú. Deputy Murphy might start us off.

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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I did not expect to be coming in that quickly. I will begin by thanking the Minister of State for his attendance. Our remit includes assessing our international development commitments. I compliment the Minister of State. I had a lunch engagement today with some visitors from Tipperary, who were asking me about the day ahead. I said that the Minister of State with responsibility for overseas aid was to be before the committee. The first question I was asked was how much we spend on overseas aid. I said that we spend in the region of €800 million. The Minister of State can correct me if I am wrong. The next question was why we spend so much. I will give the Minister of State the opportunity to answer that question. In budget 2026, there was a €30 million increase in our overseas fund. We are often critical of social media, but I have seen some of the social media around the Minister of State's trips abroad. They reflect to me the impact of that aid. For the ordinary citizen, why are we spending €800 million or more? I will give the Minister of State the opportunity to answer that.

I would appreciate an update on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Perhaps the Minister of State has some knowledge or could bring us up to date on his views and assessment of the situation in Ukraine at the moment.

I want to tap into the extent to which the Minister of State engages with private sector companies in his international work. I am sure he will agree that private sector engagement and trade in general are crucial to sustainable development. To what extent is the private sector involved in the work of the Minister of State?

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat, Deputy Murphy. We were going to take questions in a row.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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We are going to take three together, if the Minister of State does not mind.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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That is brilliant.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I was interested to hear the reply to the earlier question. From a European Union member state perspective, we are doing quite well in making progress towards the 2030 agenda. However, there is a bit of a dichotomy in our adherence to our own standards, particularly in the environmental sector. How can we be praising ourselves for reaching out globally and helping other countries to reach their objectives while at the same time falling short, as Social Justice Ireland has said, on our own environmental targets? Should we not be setting an example? We are 11th out of 14 countries in environmental achievements.

On the overseas development aid side, we are getting close to the 0.7% target, which is to be welcomed. However, when you take away the cost of hosting the likes of Ukrainian refugees, that percentage goes way down. Some of our obligations to the Ukrainians exist because we are not providing military assistance to Ukraine. What is the Minister of State's view as to where we are without our contribution towards Ukraine?

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Curim fáilte roimh an Aire agus a chuid oifigeach. The Internet could probably lead you to believe that the sustainable development goals are a different set of things. People would find it difficult to argue against no poverty, innovation and infrastructure, peace and justice, movement on climate action and responsible consumption.

We are all aware of what is a very dangerous world at this point. There is an absolute necessity to deliver on the sustainable development goals. It is obviously very difficult with the huge cuts in USAID. There have been further cuts as Governments have prioritised other things.

We all have a responsibility to explain to the rest of the world not only that money put into overseas aid is worthwhile but also that more equal societies work better, both domestically and internationally. Legacy issues, a lack of democracy and unfair trading practices and rules built up over a long time can lead to immense poverty and to the issues that follow, including mass migration. On some level, we make every country better and the world a better place by delivering on the SDGs.

What can we do, and what needs to happen, at a European level specifically? We cannot control the administration in America. I imagine most people will look for the Minister of State’s view and a departmental view on what is ongoing in Gaza. With all the difficulties, it is very difficult to call it peace. Reference was made to Ukraine. The conflict there and the huge humanitarian disaster that is Sudan at the minute are all interlinked.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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The Minster of State might try to respond to all those questions. There was a great variety.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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It should take about four minutes.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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There are a couple of questions I am going to focus on, and they relate to each other. The first and most important question, from Deputy Murphy, was about why we spend money on ODA. ODA is, crucially, an investment from the Irish Government. In this budget, we have managed to agree on an allocation of €840.3 million, the highest it has ever been since Irish Aid was created by the late Dr. Garret FitzGerald in 1974. For the past ten years we have increased our ODA budget, despite other countries – be they in the EU or be it the US itself – cutting theirs. We fundamentally believe ODA is a good investment because all the issues people are raising in our constituency clinics – grocery prices, energy security, global stability, personal security and concerns about irregular migration – stem from insecurity in the developing world, in the global south. Rather than talking about building walls, increasing subsidies for energy bills, or, as some have suggested, capping grocery prices, we address the issues at source. We help people in the global south to have the basic ability to prosper. This is so women and girls can go to school, avail of further education and play an active part in the workforce, so there will be no need for inter-tribal or inter-community conflict, whether physical or of another kind, and so the impacts of climate change can be addressed and ameliorated in-country.

That, in turn, leads to the question of how we convince the private sector to play its part. Part of this is about considering trading opportunities, to be quite blunt about it. With regard to sub-Saharan Africa, we import over €28 million worth of tea from Kenya, but we also export next-level cranes from Liebherr in Kerry to Tanzania to ensure the port of Dar es Salaam can be a gateway for trade as well as development assistance into the rest of East Africa.

This leads to Deputy Gogarty’s question on getting towards 0.7% of GNI and how we calculate. We make a very distinct clarification in relation to our ODA. We hit 0.38% in 2023, going up to about 0.4%, and that is not including in-country reception of Ukrainians. Many other member states will include that. We deliberately separate it out. Including in-country reception for the first year of Ukrainian refugees brings the figure up to 0.5%. The point is that this does not count towards our lack of a contribution in terms of military assistance to Ukraine. That speaks to the positions of Deputies Gogarty, Murphy and Ó Murchú regarding how we support Ukraine. We contributed an additional €138 million in humanitarian assistance and stabilisation supports to Ukraine. That is in lieu of a military contribution and it is in-country. It includes a new school in the Donetsk region and hospital supplies. As recently as September, the Tánaiste and I announced €35.4 million in new funding for Ukraine, including €23.5 million in humanitarian funding.

To conclude on getting towards the 2030 target for SDGs, Ireland has made progress on about 80% of the objectives. The EU average is just over 72%, although that is tricky to calculate because one relies on each member state reporting. As we have mentioned, in the developing world the rate is 20%. I do not disagree for an instant that we have farther to go, particularly on climate measures, but we are working far above the average global or regional curve to achieve the targets by 2030. We are playing our part in ensuring countries that do not have either the capital resources or the political will to play their part can do so, because it is very clearly in our interest.

Crucially, on Deputy Ó Murchú’s final point, on Gaza, since the attacks of 7 October 2023 Irish funding for peace efforts in the Middle East has increased massively. This year, we announced an additional €20 million for the work of UNWRA. We stand ready, in the very fragile peace that exists on and off, to play our part, not only in providing humanitarian relief to the people of Palestine more broadly but also in the reconstruction efforts. Crucially, that too is in our interest.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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Is Deputy Murphy happy with the answer?

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Yes.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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Is Deputy Gogarty happy enough?

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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Yes.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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Is Deputy Ó Murchú happy enough with the answer?

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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No, it was utterly unacceptable. Joking aside, though, could the Minister of State refer to Sudan and the wider issue of selling, and the necessity of delivering on, the SDGs?

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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When it comes to Sudan in particular, let us not beat around the bush. This is the worst humanitarian situation in the world at the moment. The level of forced displacement is beyond comprehension. The level of deprivation and the level of violence is absolutely vicious. We saw that just ten days ago when the siege of El Fasher was completed, with very deadly consequences. Ireland is doing a number of things in this regard. We have contributed over €14 million this year by way of a humanitarian response through UN agencies and our agency partners on the ground. During the UN General Assembly week in September, the Tánaiste and I announced an additional €3 million in funding. We expect that we will need to maintain that for next year. We have also signed up to international agreements to prevent the sale of arms and weapons and to impose an embargo on both sides in the conflict. We have consistently raised that issue multilaterally.

More generally, selling the SDGs was probably a little easier in 2015. We discussed at other fora the Make Poverty History marches of over 20 years ago, when there was a real global appetite. Let us not be mistaken in that there is now global weariness in this regard, particularly among certain governments that have decided to take a very populist route, claiming that somehow the SDGs do not matter, that the climate emergency is not real, or that it is not in their interest to be part of a joined-up global world. It is our responsibility as elected representatives to say we are all interconnected and that the world is getting smaller, the consequence being that what happens in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine lands on the doorsteps of the people the members present and I represent here.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. Senators Andrews and Lynch have gone out for a minute, so Deputy Paula Butterly, who indicated earlier her wish to speak, might ask a couple of questions. She is to be followed by Deputy Seán Crowe and Senator O’Loughlin. When the others come back, we will let them join in.

Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Thanks a million to the Minister of State for coming in. It is really important to keep this discussion alive because very often there is a disconnect between people’s everyday lives and what we are trying to do when we give foreign aid to countries. I would like to come back to the issue of Sudan because, as the Minister of State rightly said, the people there are facing atrocities, including mass killings, sexual violence, the destruction of vital infrastructure and, above all, famine. While there are acute food shortages, it is important to highlight that maternal health and protection are sorely lacking. In 2024, 10.9 million pregnant women and breast-feeding women faced acute malnutrition. It is reported that in 2024 there were 1 million such women in Sudan. It is important to highlight that because it is 25 years since the UN adopted what was known as the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Despite that, there has been a rise in the number of conflicts and wars and a rise in militarisation, which inevitably increases violence against and killings of women and children.

I would like to know what we are going to do, first and foremost, and then come back in when everybody else has asked other questions. Is the Department undertaking work to ensure that sexual and reproductive health and rights, SRHR, of women within Sudan are still being supported? In the global sense, will we also look at other areas, for example, Afghanistan? There are no longer any female judges in Afghanistan. Ever since the Taliban came in, eight out of ten women are denied education, training and any sort of work. This is important because I believe, for International Women's Day, we donated or supported €4 million in support of this. If women are being denied access to services and a career, yet, we are donating money, what is the money being spent on? It is primarily about the maternal measures that were taken to protect pregnant women. I would be very grateful for a reply.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I listened to some commentary around COP30, where people talked about needing to consolidate the actions now rather than looking to set new targets or develop new measures. Does that apply, given the challenges SDGs have, particularly in the environmental sector? Is the Department looking at consolidating what is going on and projects that are currently under way?

Gaza was mentioned. Thousands of tonnes of food aid is waiting to go in to those in Gaza but Israel is continuing with the genocide and the blockade. I know it is very challenging, but what is the Government, along with the EU, doing to ensure the tonnes of food in those warehouses get into Gaza? People are talking about a ceasefire. There has been a reduction in people being killed, although not completely. In my opinion, there is no ceasefire. People are still being killed but the Israelis will not allow heavy machinery in to help with the recovery of the dead in Gaza. In my view, there is no ceasefire, but what is the Government doing to get that food into Gaza?

Sudan is a huge concern as well. I heard some commentary on people who talk about Palestine, which stated they never talk about Sudan. Having spoken to a Sudanese individual recently, the Sudanese do not want it suggested that because people are talking about Palestine, they have no interest in or concerns for Sudan. It is hugely concerning to everybody. It is a different type of dispute, in many ways. In Sudan, there is not a David and Goliath conflict. It is very different, but the horror that is happening there needs to be addressed.

My questions are about consolidation and getting that food out of the warehouses.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Deputy Ó Murchú alluded to some of the sustainable development goals. There are 17 of them and they are aspirational in nature, although the view is that rather than concentrating on words we need action in relation to them. The Minister of State is in a lucky position in that he is saying €840 million of Irish taxpayers' money is going into projects right across Africa and the world. There is huge support within the Oireachtas for that. I will focus on the importance of proper scrutiny of every euro and every cent that is spent in relation to those goals.

How important does the Minister of State think it is for Oireachtas Members, for instance, to see for themselves the work that many of the projects are doing on the ground? I previously talked about travelling to Tanzania a number of years ago. The Minister of State mentioned Dar es Salaam. One of the things people were trying to do there was train the trainers, which the port authorities there were looking to do with Dublin Port. That was an example of practical help that could be done that is untied. A question was asked as regards what is in this for Ireland. There is trade, goodwill and all those other positive things.

On the issue of getting value for every cent that is spent, we have been lucky in the sense that there have not been the scandals in relation to money going into such and such a Minister's account or whatever. At the time I was in Tanzania, there was a scandal where, coincidentally, money had supposedly gone into someone's account. That was the big news at the time, but we saw other things. There was one project where the cattle herd was being enhanced. That had stopped and local people did not know why. It stopped because the Irish Government had invested in this project for about 20 years and the next level was that the Tanzanian Government was supposed to step in and follow through on the project, but that did not happen. The only thing people knew was there was a project and it just stopped. How important is the follow-up in relation to a lot of these projects?

I will give just one more example that was again to do with basket funding. There was an area where there was sisal, from which ropes are made, which is seen across Africa, traditionally. Africans are starting to use it again rather than plastic. In this area, a sunflower factory was supposed to be open. We went to visit the sunflower factory. The machinery and the factory were there but no sunflowers were growing around the factory. There were no sunflowers growing in that region. There was no electricity for the factory. Something went wrong there, but my worry at the time was that this is someone ticking a box. There was a factory and machinery and everything else. The next thing the locals wanted was the electricity in the area, which would have enhanced the whole area. The point I am making is that was not sustainable in the long term. It is a bad example to give because there were so many positive things I can talk about regarding that trip, including the stuff around using less water for growing more rice. That was one of the things, as was help for women who had a fistula and the whole thing of how they were treated and so on.

People have visited many of these things, but I am just picking the one that went wrong. In the days we live in, of false news, fake news and so on, that could be amplified in relation to where our money is going and where the wasted money is going and so on. How important is it we have that oversight role as elected representatives to follow up that huge amount of investment that is there? We need to do that follow-up as Oireachtas Members, with whatever support we have, right across the Oireachtas, for all parties and none. There has been that tradition in this House. It is critical we get it right in relation to that. As an Oireachtas, we need to spend more time on funnelling down on how these projects work, and whether or not they work. I have talked for too long. I apologise, but it is a fair question to ask the Minister of State. He is responsible for all that money on behalf of Irish taxpayers.

It is important we get this right.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for being here. It is always appreciated. I thank him for the excellent work he is doing on the ground when he represents Ireland abroad, going to many of the countries that need help and support.

I will follow up on some of the comments about Sudan. At this point about 25 million people need urgent help and about 14 million children are in dire need of proper nutrition and food. When we take the situation with hospitals and so on and, as my colleague, Deputy Butterly, mentioned, violence against women, which is sadly always a feature of war, we have to continue to shine a spotlight and try to play a role in increasing humanitarian aid and to bring about some kind of peace between the warring factions. It has been going on forever. It has been almost 20 years since my sister spent a year there with Médicins sans Frontières in Darfur and the situation does not seem to have improved in any way. When she was there as a young doctor, she and her colleagues were fleeing from village to village because of warlords. They were in the situation that is happening in Gaza, which is that they had to perform operations without giving an anaesthetic. These volunteers are doing incredible work and we have to support them and the people who are there insofar as we can.

Going back to sustainable development goals, SDGs, we had the opportunity to explore some of the issues with a number of witnesses who appeared before the committee. I will put a few questions to the Minister of State. Based on some of the questions and responses from those organisations, we know the SDGs are complex. It is great to have them and to have the tiles. There is the simplicity of what they stand for, but underneath that there is huge complexity. We have to acknowledge that they are not necessarily translating into effective delivery despite all the research and work that went into them. We need to improve public engagement. We need to do more with schools. I was delighted when I heard Councillor Bridie Collins from Limerick talk about a course the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, established for local councillors and it brought home to them, in terms of the work they do on a daily basis, the importance of the SDGs. We really need to look at it in many different ways, including in the Oireachtas. I have a pin from New York when I visited my brother who works in the UN there and unfortunately I forget to wear it more often than I do. I had the opportunity almost to learn more than when I became a member of this committee. I had the opportunity to have the explanations so public engagement is important.

There is also a lack of clarity about the consequences if we fail to meet the SDGs. There is a complicated system. The EU does not levy fines directly, but there is a system and we need clarity on that.

Which of the three SDGs does the Minister of State think would be most appropriate to align with Ireland's upcoming Presidency of the EU?

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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We have been rejoined by an Seanadóir Lynch. She had popped out for a moment. She had indicated to speak so we might as well let her in if the Minister of State does not mind.

Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach. I thank the Minister of State for joining us today and for his comprehensive, if slightly concerning and worrying, report. I stepped out to speak in the Seanad so I apologise for any repetition.

The most concerning thing I see is that only one in five of the SDGs is on track. We are doing quite well, but in general that is the global progress. What is the best way to deal with that? Can Ireland play a role in speeding that up? I appreciate the work we are doing on this.

The Minister of State mentioned gender equality, which is goal 5 of the SDGs, its importance and the importance of improving female participation in society. Can I get a bit more detail on that and on the work Ireland is doing to promote that SDG on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights? Given the stance being taken by the US at the moment, how are we progressing that on a European as well as a global level?

That leads me to my next question about the Global Europe spend. Which like-minded countries are we working with in pursuing the same goals?

Reverting to gender equality, how does the Minister of State feel about putting forward gender equality measures in Europe when not all our European colleagues are quite as open to or accepting of gender equality and sexual and reproductive health views as we are? We saw that in recent years during European negotiations with the differences of opinion across the Union on the directive on gender-based violence. What kinds of difficulties does that present? Are we playing a vocal role in the promotion of goal 5? Obviously there are issues outside Europe, but there will be issues, as I see it, with the Union as well. How is that being dealt with?

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I am grateful to all members for their questions. I will group some of them, but I would like to start, if I may, by responding to Deputy Crowe's specific points because they are apt and follow on succinctly from the points made by Deputy Michael Murphy. It is clear. First and foremost, the work of Irish Aid is subject to a series of external and internal independent audits and we make sure every cent is spent accurately in all the countries in which we work and by the partners we work with, particularly at a multilateral level.

It was asked what is in it for Ireland. I have already discussed how this is an investment and how we address the issues that affect the Deputy's constituents in Killinarden, Tallaght or Jobstown or mine in Stepaside, Dundrum or Rathfarnham or wherever it may be. Equally, it goes to the role Ireland can play on the global stage. We have been known historically as a country that believes in overseas development assistance, long before Irish Aid was set up in 1974, going back to the work of our missionary nuns and priests. Many African leaders cite the Irish priests and nuns who educated or nursed them as children. It is deep seated. Then there is subsequent work of Irish aid agencies. I will not list them. It would be unfair. There are large and small ones and they are absolutely embedded in the public conscience and we are known for that. It gives us an ability when we go to speak, at the European Union, United Nations or any other level, to speak with credibility based on what has gone before.

It is important that Oireachtas Members bear witness to this. I am aware that the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade has already identified two Irish Aid countries in west Africa to visit next year. If there was an opportunity for members of the Committee on European Union Affairs to do likewise, perhaps through the Global Gateway project or something tied to the multi-annual financial framework, it would be useful. Deputy Crowe mentioned Tanzania. I was lucky to travel there in March and saw first hand what is working. Our work there is having an effect. Farmers were mentioned. Milk-yield has tripled in rural Tanzania because we are able to train agricultural scientists at the Teagasc facility in Fermoy. They go back to Tanzania and work with nomadic farmers to make sure their yield is tripled and people have the opportunity not only to produce milk for their own consumption, but also to sell to market, giving them the opportunity to allow their children to stay longer in school and provide that kind of material as well a holistic development. It is important that we do not just read about it in reports or talk about it in a windowless committee room.

Since I was appointed in late January, I have visited seven of the 13 Irish Aid countries. That will be eight next week when I visit Colombia. I will visit three more in quarter 1 of next year. I am doing this on purpose to make sure that people do not forget why we do this, that it is not just something we think about at Christmas time or Lenten time and give a few bob to. Deputy Crowe is right, in that this is Irish taxpayers' money. We are investing €840.3 million out of our budget next year in development assistance because it is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. The more we have that discussion, the better. I would like to think, and am fairly sure, that every person and party in this room is in favour of our ODA programme. That marries with Irish public sentiment. An opinion poll by Dóchas prior to the general election showed that 76% of Irish people supported this work. None of us can claim to have 76% support in the polls. We would love it but those days are long gone for any party.

I will go back to the issues raised by Deputy Butterly as well as Senators O'Loughlin and Lynch in relation to progress on SDG 5 on gender equality. I have a couple of things to say in this regard to this. We have made gender equality and the work of women and girls central to our development programme. It is something that we practice as well as preach about. Deputy Butterly, it is in the programme for Government in relation to supporting women and girls in Afghanistan. The change of regime there has exposed them to very real threats. There is not just a lack of women in the judiciary, but a lack of access to healthcare for women and girls. In regard to our work, predominantly in east Africa, we are very firm in making sure we maintain that level of access to sexual reproductive health and rights. I will be quite frank, and while it is not very politically correct say it, but we cannot let the health of women and girls in the developing world be the victim of someone else's culture war. That is what we are seeing. We are seeing gender being lumped in with the anti-DEI agenda. The thinking is that if people remove funding from that, then there are no consequences and they are sticking it to the woke brigade. What happens is more girls aged 12, 13 or 14 become pregnant, higher rates of infection of HIV-AIDS, more maternal mortality and levels of malnutrition in breastfeeding mothers going up again. It goes to the overall point about the SDGs and why they are important. Great progress has been made. It is not enough progress, as I have said multiple times, but if we look at the rates of infection of HIV-AIDS, malaria and polio, if we look at the average lifespan, if we look at quality of life over the 25 years, we have seen those areas absolutely transform. In the past few months, they have started to regress. That is a very real worry. It is not just because of the massive reduction of funding to USAID. It is because of a reduction in funding by EU member states in particular as well as by other European countries. It feeds into all of the work that is ongoing.

From an Irish point of view, it is fine. The OECD notes that we are probably one of the highest donor countries when it comes to prioritising gender. However, we have to keep that on the agenda, particularly at an EU level. I will speak to that in a moment, as it rolls into Senator Lynch's question on the global Europe budget. It goes to Senator O'Loughlin's point, related to Deputy Crowe's point, about how we make sure we continue this. It is right that we should have these discussions in the Oireachtas. However, a couple of the really important efforts by Irish Aid are the Our World Awards, which reach out to national schools. More than 400 national schools last year throughout the country took part. A number of members from all parties and none have written to national schools in their own constituencies asking them to take part. It is a wonderful programme for national school children to see the work of the SDGs and how it matters to them. We launched it - in my constituency, no surprise - in the Our Lady of the Wayside school, which Senator Andrews would know very well, it is just up the Sandyford Road. It struck me that we had 28 children in the class and we were talking about the work and what was happening in Gaza, and three children said they were actually Palestinian. We were talking about the work in east Africa. Four children said their grandmothers originally came to Great Britain from Sudan. They were not just looking at it from a distance. This is within our communities. This is within our friendship groups, our neighbourhoods and the constituencies we represent. It is crucial that things like the Our World Awards and global citizenship education work with community groups, men's sheds and local community groups and that they are also part of it.

Senator Andrews rightly raised the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the fact that we were looking at a man-made famine. The head of the UN's humanitarian response, Mr. Tom Fletcher, was in Ireland about two weeks ago. I met him in New York when he had just come back from Gaza. I have heard Senator Andrews in the Seanad raise the issue of the Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid that went on for nearly 90 days and clearly cost thousands of lives. That blockade has been lifted. The agreement is seeing about 400 trucks of aid going in every day. Within that are very real Irish contributions to the work of agencies like the World Health Organization, WHO, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, and the World Food Programme, WFP. After the ceasefire was announced, we increased our funding by €6 million. We have been holding stocks in warehouses in Jordan and also in Dubai where we have a centralised stock. The Under-Secretary-General was quite clear, in that he has no issue with supplies. The supplies are ready to go. The issue is access. This is a man-made famine. I asked him how long it took to reverse a famine. He said Gaza, unlike the famine in Sudan, could actually be reversed far quicker than any other famine because all the tools to release Gaza from famine were there. The medicines and supplies are there, the medics and humanitarian workers are there, the trusted work of agencies like UNRWA are there. It can be turned around in less than eight months if it is given free-flowing access by the Israeli Government. Members do not need me to tell them that that is not happening to the level that we need to reverse a man-made famine. The more we see engagement and interference that stops or impacts on the efforts of international organisations, the longer it will take to reverse that famine and, quite frankly, the more women and children who are already at risk will die or be otherwise impacted.

It then goes to the point about looking to consolidate our actions, perhaps in the context of COP, which begins next Monday, when I will travel to it. It is not necessarily about consolidation. We have rightly set out lofty goals and have improved those goals, but it is now about how we look at the roadmap to achieving those goals. It is being described as the Baku to Belém roadmap, and when it comes to my end of the work with issues such as mitigation and adaptation, Ireland is meeting its needs. We have met all of our financial commitments and we are prepared to meet them again, but we need to make sure that, first, we get other donor countries to play their part and, second, funds are being spent in a manner that is effective. I believe they are. One of the points made to me at an event recently from someone from the developing world was that the more large donor countries continued to pollute and the more they did not reduce their emissions, the more money developing countries were going to need to mitigate the impact of that. It highlights the question of why we set these targets. It is not just because the planet is burning, but also because it will save us money in the medium-to-long term. We will spend less of our taxpayers' money on loss and damage and on mitigation and adaptation if we and other countries, particularly in the global north, actually meet our responsibilities. Ireland is doing better than most, but to go back to Deputy Gogarty's point, we can do better.

Before I finish on the point in relation to global Europe, Senator O'Loughlin and Deputy Butterly made points about the humanitarian disaster in Sudan. I have mentioned our focus on maintaining access to maternal health and protection in that conflict area. As I have said before, women and girls are more at risk in conflict situations. They are demonstrably more at risk from sexual violence and lack of access to healthcare. We have seen worryingly increasing rates of female genital mutilation, FGM, in those regions as well. That is why we are increasing our level of support in terms of humanitarian aid. However, due to what is happening in Sudan and Gaza, this is the deadliest year in history to be a humanitarian worker. More than 300 humanitarian workers have been killed. These are people - colleagues of UN staff agencies, in the WHO and UNRWA - who have been killed. This is why it is so important that we talk about access, not just into Gaza, but particularly in Sudan. The difficulty in the latter is much more acute. Due to its vast size, the people who need medical care are much harder to reach.

To conclude on Senator Lynch's point - I have addressed some of it - in relation to how we prepare for the Presidency of the Council of the EU, which we will take over in July, and the continuing discussions on the multiannual financial framework, MFF, we saw the initial papers released by the Commission in July and follow-up papers in September.

It is to be welcomed that we are told that over 90% of the budget will go to official development assistance, but we have made the point quite clearly that with the reductions made by USAID, a number of member states and other European partners, the responsibility on the EU to maintain its development budget has never been more important. We have a number of like-minded countries that we work closely with, such as the Spanish. We work very closely with them regarding what is going on in Palestine, obviously. Equally, we work with the traditional countries, such as Denmark, within the European Union. There has been a worrying political shift in previous reliable political partners, however, such as Belgium, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands. I have no problem saying that. Hopefully, the change in government in the Netherlands might rectify that. I know we are paying close attention to those election results. The Germans have been particularly strong when it comes to gender equality. Previously, the Swedes were really strong in that regard, but less so now that we have a Sweden Democrat involved in the development ministry who makes it very difficult to be political. In the wider European region, the Norwegian Government remains a rock-solid partner. It would be remiss of me not to say that we lament the decision of the United Kingdom to cut its ODA from 0.5% to 0.3%.

It is a false dichotomy when we see the British Government and other European governments cutting their development budgets in order to invest more in their security and defence. It is very easy for Ireland to say that, however. Even though we are on course to double our defence and security spending, we are still increasing our development spending. The two are absolutely interlinked. If you talk about the issues that present the greatest threat to domestic security, you go back to the global instability that is particularly felt in the developing world as well as the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and those regions that have been invaded by Russia. It is false to say there is a binary choice between development and security and defence. That is why Ireland will be working particularly hard in our Presidency to make sure that development is given a central and vocal role. As Deputy Butterly said, we are very loud at the European table about it. We very much hope to bring in not just Members of the Oireachtas but members of the civic society as well as the private sector to play their role in our Presidency in this regard.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Before we wind up, if the Minister of State does not mind, we have a couple of additional queries. Deputy Gogarty wishes to come back in again and Deputy Butterly has also indicated. Senator Andrews also wishes to come back in. We can take them in that order.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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With an eye to our looming EU Presidency, I wish to see whether we can show leadership in certain areas of development support. I am thinking of two things. The first is the issue of arms getting to combat zones in Sudan. While I know there is an EU-wide ban, we have seen a situation reported fairly recently where Bulgarian mortars got into Sudan, although not directly. There have been claims of French and - outside the EU – British weapons getting in through intermediaries. A lot of them seem to be through the UAE, which has a number of companies referenced in some reports. Some kinds of factions in Libya are also helping. From the European Union perspective, given that our trade links with the UAE are developing, is any pressure being applied on our trade partner to stamp down on those sorts of arm shipments? I know the UAE is taking the side of the rebels, for example, and everyone has their own viewpoints. Russia, China and Iran are all involved in some way, shape or form. It is just to ensure that the EU element is enforced.

Separate to this is Afghanistan. The Taliban has brought in over 80 diktats, basically reducing women to nothing. They are not allowed to speak, educate themselves or do anything. I read an article in one of the Irish papers recently, as well as other reports elsewhere, about how women are circumventing some of the education elements, at huge personal risk, by going online. What concerns me is that if there is no culture of ongoing education among women, in ten years’ time, they will go back to “knowing their place” in society and there will not be that effort to ensure women’s education is kept to the forefront. Right now, it is to the forefront because people know and have experience of education. If the Taliban succeeds long term, however, then the next generation will not have that experience and it will be a lot more difficult to ensure that women’s fundamental rights are protected.

In that respect, in the Minister of State’s view, how feasible is it to have a project whereby a Starlink-type Internet access would be beamed by satellite into Afghanistan and devices would be sent into the country to allow women to learn online and to give them some sort of recognition of qualifications to international standards? It may not help them in the short term to secure employment in Afghanistan, but it will ensure that if they do manage to get out of the country, they have qualifications. It will also ensure that a culture of learning is continued because, obviously, the misogynists in the Taliban want to see women denigrated totally. They are halfway through that, unfortunately.

Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State got in ahead of me to promote the Our World Awards.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I am sorry.

Paula Butterly (Louth, Fine Gael)
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It is okay. I will forgive him this time. There is no problem on that. He underlined the importance of it. We wrote to over 80 primary schools in County Louth when it was announced because we believe it is a wonderful initiative. When I am visiting primary schools, I love to highlight it and encourage them to take part. I will say it again and make a shameless plug: schools have until March 2026 to make an application and submit an entry. It is with these small gestures that we build knowledge and understanding about who we are, our place in the world and how we can connect with each other on every possible level. It is a wonderful initiative.

I wish to reflect briefly on what Senators Lynch and O’Loughlin, as well as other Oireachtas Members, mentioned with regard to women’s rights. There is certainly a backlash over the past number of years in that regard. We are in a fragile position. It does not matter whether it is Europe. The Minister of State mentioned Europe but people can look to America or Africa and know that there is very much a backlash and regression. Rights that we took for granted and fought so hard for are being conceded. It is an important issue.

Since August 2025, 15 countries worldwide have signed up to commit to a foreign policy through a feminist lens. While I appreciate the Minister of State’s words today and I know the commitment by the Government to look to aid countries where there is devastation, sexual violence, etc., and to aid those women and children, which is of fundamental importance not just to them but to the development of their countries and for us in the future, it would send out a strong message as well if we too were to commit to looking at our foreign policy through a feminist lens.

Chris Andrews (Sinn Fein)
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I attended a presentation earlier today in the audiovisual room organised by The Open Community. It co-ordinates the humanitarian admissions programme, HAP, for Afghans. It focuses particularly on women and children, journalists and human rights activists. Is there a HAP for people in Gaza or Sudan? If not, is that something the HAP can be used for? Is it being used for people from Gaza and Sudan?

To clarify, the Minister of State mentioned the word “ceasefire”. Does he really believe there is a ceasefire? A total of 240 people have been killed. They are not always using bombs to kill people; there has been heavy artillery fire almost every single day and they are shelling people, families and communities. Desalination plants have been destroyed and there is a big shortage of food, as the Minister of State has said. Does he believe there is a ceasefire?

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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Before we wind up, I have given quite a lot of latitude today. This is the Committee on European Union Affairs. I think we have discussed all sorts unrelated to EU affairs. The Minister of State, in fairness to him, has been very generous with his time and responses.

The Minister of State might finish off this session with a couple of answers. We really appreciate his time.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Go raibh maith agat. I compliment the members of the committee because all of the issues that have been raised are European issues. Let us not forget that. We may be talking about matters in Sudan, Afghanistan or Gaza but there is an EU lens to all of this. That is crucial ahead of Ireland taking up the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

In relation to Deputy Gogarty's point, we are extremely concerned about breaches of the arms embargo into Sudan. We have been very clear on this and we have raised it at all of the appropriate multilateral levels. We are signatories to the embargo and we think that fuelling this vicious conflict, which is leading to the world's worst humanitarian disaster, is a reprehensible act. We have made that point very clear.

As I mentioned, there is a specific commitment in the programme for Government to support women and girls in Afghanistan. This was deliberately included at a time when we feared, due to the return of the Taliban regime, that this matter was going to fall off the agenda. We saw the very inglorious way that American and British forces withdrew from the country. I am not going to rule out the suggestion in relation to a Starlink-type Internet access. I think it is ambitious, but we would certainly be open to supporting any measure that improves the education opportunities that have been completely robbed from women and girls in Afghanistan.

I am grateful to Deputy Butterly for highlighting the Our World Awards to 80 national schools in County Louth. They are not "small gestures"; they are really big. When schools participate in this initiative, the response we get from teachers and, crucially, from the children and the wider school community of parents, guardians and grandparents is how inclusive it is and how it brings the entire school community together. It is extremely accessible and extremely complementary to the primary school curriculum. I would love for the Deputy to join me at the Our World Awards. I have no doubt that schools from Ardee or Dunleer will be taking part. Every school that takes part - over 400 of them - is a winner but for those who make it to the finals it is very special. It is a very enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, but I warn the Deputy that she will be expected to dance as part of the awards, which is something I am not particularly good at.

More seriously, I will focus on the Deputy's repeated point in relation to SDG 5 and the role of women's rights and how we view our foreign policy through a feminist lens. I must stress that we do. We have a very clear commitment to gender equality as part of our foreign policy. The OECD verifies that Ireland is strong on having a foreign policy that looks to increase gender equality and to increase the level of access to healthcare, education, the workplace, and so much else for women and girls around the world.

Senator Andrews asked about a humanitarian admissions programme for Gaza and Sudan. We are probably not there yet, if that makes sense. We are a little bit further along with the process for Afghanistan, to be quite frank. That does not mean I am ruling it out. We have seen a number of medical refugees come from Gaza, and we have seen elements of family reunification. I know of individual cases on whose behalf the Senator advocated directly to me. When it comes to a ceasefire, I am going to couch my language in certain terms. I am not being coy and I say this deliberately. What we were seeing before in recent weeks was absolutely barbaric and horrendous. It was a genocide in which we saw food and energy being used as weapons of war. None of us could turn on our televisions without seeing emaciated women and children. What we are seeing now is still absolutely horrendous. It is obviously not a fully functioning ceasefire when attacks are still happening. However, it gives us an element of a pathway, first and foremost, to get a level of humanitarian aid in so we can try to reverse the famine in Gaza as quickly as possible. It also gives us an element of a move towards the next stage, in due course. The hope is that this would lead to an element of sustainable peace based on a two-state solution, as declared at the UN conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. We are prepared to try everything to make sure, first and foremost, that we get humanitarian aid in, that we get a real ceasefire and real peace and that we make sure Israel is held to account. We will say that as well and we do say that in every forum. We need to give it every opportunity to work. As the Senator knows better than anyone else in this room, I would argue, the Irish people are intrinsically invested in peace in the Middle East and in justice for the people of Palestine. The Irish Government takes very seriously its responsibility on a global stage to advocate for this and we will continue to do so.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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We thank the Minister of State for his time and his openness in answering all of our queries. It has been a very informative session, and we look forward to seeing him here again.

Rónán Mullen (Independent)
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My apologies to the Minister of State for my being delayed. I wish him well with his work.

Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
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Thanks very much, everybody. We will now go into private session to discuss some committee business.