Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

Capacity building is recognised by both donors and developing countries as a critical priority for the attainment of the millennium development goals. This is strongly reflected in numerous recent international policy statements and reports such as the Paris declaration on aid effectiveness, the Commission for Africa report and the report of the UN millennium project. Within Africa, the African Union's new partnership for Africa's development, NEPAD, launched in 2001 as the continent's main development strategy, identifies capacity constraints as a major obstacle to sustainable development.

Until relatively recently, capacity building was often viewed as a process that involved the transfer of knowledge from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere. However, in recent years this view has changed. Capacity development is now perceived as the primary responsibility of developing countries themselves. This requires that they take ownership of the process by developing clear capacity building objectives within national development plans.

Capacity building is at the core of Ireland's development co-operation programme. We work closely with partner Governments to build the capacity of individuals, communities and institutions to plan and lead the development process. We avoid establishing parallel systems of our own. We support initiatives that encourage skilled professionals to remain in their own countries.

Ireland has consistently supported and promoted education, particularly basic education, as a key change agent for development programmes. We are committed to working with local, regional and national authorities to accelerate access, equity and better quality education. Priority is given to addressing the barriers that prevent girls realising their right to education and to strengthening the response by the education sector to HIV and AIDS.

Strengthening the capacity of national, district and local partners in education planning, implementation and monitoring is central to all our work in education. In addition Ireland's fellowship training programme, which provides further training opportunities in Ireland for up to 60 fellows each year, contributes in a concrete way to addressing capacity deficits in education, but also in health, agriculture and other sectors. Consultations are under way with the Higher Education Authority to build even stronger links between the third level sector in Ireland, the aid programme countries and the aid programme generally.

Expenditure on education increased from €16.7 million in 1999 to approximately €42 million in 2004. The Government recognises that sustained improvements in education systems in the programme countries where we operate and in the developing world generally will require long-term commitment of resources by national Governments and by the international donor community. In the context of an expanded aid programme, we are committed to developing the educational area as a key element of the aid programme.

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