Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann shall consider the Report of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence, entitled ‘Review of the Irish Aid Programme’, copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 21st February, 2018.”

It is my honour to introduce this report in the Chamber today. I acknowledge our guests in the Visitors Gallery. They include representatives from a number of development NGOs and the umbrella organisation, Dóchas. They are all very welcome. They are consistent visitors to the House and our committee.

This report is the culmination of several months of constructive engagement and debate within the committee on the Irish Aid programme. During those months the committee met a wide range of stakeholders, including the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, and senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; representatives from the NGO sector; members of academia; the ambassadors of Ethiopia and Kenya in Ireland; and Mr. David Donoghue, Ireland’s former permanent representative to the United Nations in New York and co-facilitator of the process to negotiate the Sustainable Development Goals.

Members of the committee also visited Malawi and Mozambique to see at first hand the implementation of the Irish Aid programme and to meet partners and stakeholders at government, civil society, community and individual level.

In addition to the seven public sessions we held on this subject, the committee received over 30 written submissions from stakeholders. The level of interest in and engagement on this important topic was greatly appreciated and I acknowledge and thank all those who engaged so constructively. It is clear such interest reflects the importance so many stakeholders place on ensuring Ireland has the strongest and most effective aid programme possible.

It has been several years since Ireland’s official development assistance, ODA, programme was last discussed and debated in this Chamber and this debate is timely. It is important to emphasise at the outset of this debate that the committee strongly supports the Irish Aid programme. Throughout our meetings we heard an overwhelmingly positive assessment of the Irish Aid programme and the delivery of overseas assistance by our NGOs. The high quality of the programme and its strong focus on poverty reduction was emphasised time and again. Ireland has a good story to tell.

Huge advances have been made as a result of ODA, including Ireland’s aid programme, as well as through the development assistance programmes of the European Union, to which Ireland contributes. We must send out the clear message that aid works.

As a result of aid over than 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty; the under-five child mortality rate has almost halved; devastating diseases such as smallpox and tuberculosis have been controlled; there has been huge progress in fighting HIV and AIDS, and malaria; and 2.6 billion people have gained access to improved water sources. Education subsidies, social cash transfers and schemes addressing water provision and quality have all had far-reaching positive impacts on the lives of people most in need.

We in Ireland can and should take considerable pride in the role our aid programme has played in contributing to these long-term results. I had the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the effectiveness of the aid programme during the committee’s visit to Malawi and northern Mozambique last November. The visit highlighted the life-changing impact Irish taxpayers’ money is having on some of the poorest people in the world. It demonstrated to me that results are being achieved through the implementation of a broad range of programmes, working hand in hand in a spirit of partnership with local communities and authorities. The visit also highlighted to me the extent of need that continues to exist and the obligation we all have at national, European and international level to respond to that need.

The scale of need that exists today is more significant than ever with 140 million people in need of humanitarian assistance; 65 million people - over ten times the population of this country - displaced by war and conflict; over 3 million children under five dying each year due to preventable and treatable diseases; over 260 million children not receiving an education; and rapid population growth with the population on the African continent expected to double to 2.5 billion people by 2050.

In Syria alone, the latest figures by UNHCR show there are over 13 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, over 6 million internally displaced from their homes and now 5.6 million refugees forced to flee, 2.6 million of whom are children. A quarter of all Syrians are refugees. The official death toll is unknown but is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. These shocking figures are an important reminder of the current context in which Ireland’s aid programme must be effectively implemented. Behind each figure are countless individuals in need of assistance.

I understand the Tánaiste is planning to produce a new White Paper on the Irish Aid programme in the coming months. The committee welcomes that commitment and we trust that the views raised in our report and during today’s debate will be carefully considered and taken into account.

As a Member of this House, along with my committee colleagues and other Members present, who all represent constituencies with a great many needs, I do not shy away from acknowledging the competing demands on taxpayers’ money. Our domestic challenges must be addressed urgently. However, we cannot and must not neglect our moral responsibility to play our part, as a developed nation, in addressing the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable people and communities around the world.

The committee fully supports continued increases in the aid budget to meet that need in a targeted, effective way, maintaining the high standards and quality in the aid programme Ireland has been internationally recognised for. Doing so is not just the right thing to do, it is also in our national interest.

We are living in a deeply interconnected world. Playing our part in lifting people out of extreme poverty and deprivation, addressing the root causes of conflict and instability, will lead to greater peace and security for all. The challenge for the Government now is to identify how to protect and build upon the high quality of the aid programme, at a time when global challenges are intensifying in areas such as climate change, rising inequalities and population growth, growing migration flows throughout the world, politically isolationist trends in the west, and not least humanitarian crises.

This report contains 22 recommendations, and I will focus on three areas. The first is the sustainable development goals and the need for a more coherent approach to development assistance. The second is the need to build greater awareness of official development assistance among the public. The third is the need to demonstrate a concerted move towards realising Ireland’s long-standing commitment of spending 0.7% of gross national income on official development assistance.

Ireland can take considerable pride in the sustainable development goals, brokered in 2015 by our former permanent representative to the United Nations, David Donoghue. The 17 goals each have specific targets to be achieved by 2030. The goals are a universal call to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity. They apply to all countries throughout the world. We are proud that those goals were brokered by Ireland but now we must focus on implementation and ensure that we continue to be at the forefront at both national and international levels. This must be a whole-of-Government endeavour.

As I have just outlined, development assistance has yielded many significant results, but aid alone is not enough. That much is clear when we look at the current global crises I have already referred to. Ireland’s policies across a wide range of areas can potentially have an effect on developing countries and can consequently make our aid less impactful. This is an issue in the area of trade, environment and climate, agriculture, education, immigration and tax policy, among others. The sustainable development goals recognise this need for coherence across all policies.

Earlier this week our President made a historic address to the United Nations General Assembly focusing on peace-building. In his speech he reminded UN member states of the necessity of a coherent approach if we are to accomplish the goals set out in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Coherence is essential if we are to achieve meaningful impact. The OECD also noted in 2014 that Ireland needed to address such issues and develop a more coherent approach to development across Government. Regrettably, that has not happened.

In this report the committee calls on the Government to develop a clear cross-Government plan of action on international development policy as well as to establish a cross-departmental body to ensure better co-ordination and coherence. This could be a subgroup of the existing cross-departmental co-ordination mechanisms on the sustainable development goals. I look forward to hearing the Minister’s views on this matter. This afternoon, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, is launching Ireland’s national implementation plan for the sustainable development goals, and I look forward to reading the plan. The committee will continue to closely scrutinise the progress being made in achieving the sustainable development goals, particularly through the work of Irish Aid. The new White Paper will be an opportunity to ensure that the Irish Aid programme is clearly framed in the context of the sustainable development goals.

A strong case for the importance of strengthening our aid programme also needs to be made to the Irish public. This report contains important recommendations on scaling up resources and commitments to the education and youth sectors, supporting the essential work they carry out in providing development education. It is so important that the taxpayers of the future have awareness, understanding and ownership of the Irish Aid programme. The Government must also communicate better the results of the Irish Aid programme to all citizens more generally. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is that taxpayers are aware of how their money is being spent and, moreover, why it is being spent in the way that it is being spent. This is not just the Government’s aid programme; it belongs to the Irish people and their understanding of it is vital.

On reaching our now very long-standing commitment to achieving ODA expenditure of 0.7% of gross national income, the committee is unanimously of the view that in order for Ireland to continue to deliver and strengthen a quality aid programme, we must reach that target. The committee calls for a multi-annual plan to increase the aid budget on an incremental, phased basis and proposes that the Government submits such a clear, multi-annual plan to the Committee on Budgetary Oversight for consideration.

The Minister has spoken many times since taking on his current role of his commitment to working towards the 0.7% target. As we debate this matter today, and as Members of this House engage with him on this hugely important subject, I ask him to clearly outline his vision. The aid programme has strong political support. The Minister has the support of those of all parties and none represented on the committee, and I have no doubt many more Members of this House support the Irish Aid programme and the need to move steadily towards 0.7%.

The aid programme also has strong public support. The Irish people are known for their empathy and generosity. I was heartened by the results of a poll last year which showed that 80% of those surveyed believe we should increase our support for efforts to eradicate poverty. Now what remains is for the Government to take forward the commitments it has made and ensure they are delivered. In the words of Seamus Heaney, "Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what’s said and what’s done." This House will take the measure of what is said and what is done in regard to the Irish Aid programme and moving towards that important 0.7% target.

I would be grateful if the Minister would address two specific matters. What is the timeframe for the publication of the new White Paper? Second, will he give a clear commitment to developing a pathway to 0.7%? I thank him and I look forward to hearing his and Members' contributions in regard to this important report.

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