Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, the Government demonstrated the seriousness of our commitment to international development as a core element of Ireland's foreign policy. Having stabilised funding for the Irish Aid programme over the past four very difficult years, we have now provided for the first substantial increase in official development assistance in seven years. It is hugely significant that we are providing €640 million for development assistance in 2016, an increase of €40 million or 7% on 2015.

Just three weeks ago, I was part of the Irish delegation at the UN summit, also attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, which adopted a new set of sustainable development goals which will guide international policy and action up to 2030. The aim is nothing less than to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger over the next 15 years. Ireland played a leading role in developing the new global development framework and we are committed to maintaining our strong role in achieving its objectives. I take this opportunity to thank the Irish ambassador, David Donoghue, and his colleagues in New York for their wonderful work in achieving that agenda.

We are very conscious that we make this commitment in the context of progress under the millennium development goals but we also recognise current setbacks as a result of the unprecedented level of humanitarian crises and suffering across the Middle East and Africa, which have created the appalling refugee crisis in the Mediterranean region. This budget is a vitally important signal internationally that we will reverse the slide in the percentage of our GNP which we provide in aid. We expect that there will be a small but significant increase in the percentage, from an estimated 0.35% in 2015 to 0.36%. We know it is modest but we are committed to making progress towards the UN target of 0.7% and to doing so in a sustainable and effective manner. Ireland played a central role in brokering agreement among the EU development Ministers in May to recommit to the target and to reach it, collectively, by 2030.

I visited Jordan last week to see for myself the extent of the refugee crisis as a result of the conflict in Syria. We are fully aware of the burden being borne by neighbouring countries, especially Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. I was moved and impressed by the generosity of the Jordanian Government and its people, even as their economy is squeezed by instability and conflict on their borders, in providing for their neighbours in their time of need. Jordan, a country the size of Ireland with a population of 6.3 million, many of them refugees themselves, is now hosting some 1.3 million Syrian refugees in camps and in the community. The challenges for Jordan and for the refugee families I met are immense. I am convinced that Ireland and our EU partners can do more to assist them.

Over the past three years, Ireland has provided over €300 million to address humanitarian crises worldwide. This includes over €100 million for the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, over €40 million of which has been for victims of the Syrian conflict. We have not forgotten the victims of other humanitarian crises in Europe's broader neighbourhood, in South Sudan, Central African Republic and the Sahel. We have also deployed our naval personnel to the Mediterranean to rescue people driven to attempting the crossing in unseaworthy boats.

With the resources provided for ODA in 2016, we will do more. I am determined that we will increase our direct humanitarian funding for the refugee crisis, which is a crisis for Europe also. Ireland can play a leading role in a comprehensive European response, addressing the immediate needs of the victims of the crisis and its root causes in poverty, underdevelopment, conflict and climate change.

We will review all aspects of our aid programme to ensure that the Irish people’s funding has maximum impact for vulnerable communities. I want to ensure that we will use our humanitarian aid and our long-term development aid, especially in our key partner countries, in a more co-ordinated way. Our objective will be to respond to the immediate humanitarian suffering and to build the resilience of endangered communities against future crises. We will work closely with our key partner countries, with the United Nations and with our NGOs to do so. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Irish NGOs and our multilateral partners who are working so hard in their respective fields to deliver on the global development agenda.

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