Results 301-320 of 3,354 for speaker:Joe Costello in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Issues (11 Jun 2013)

Joe Costello: The elaboration of a strong, coherent EU approach to the negotiations for a new global development framework after 2015, the target date for the Millennium Development Goals, has been a priority for Ireland’s Presidency of the EU. The issue was central to discussions at the Development segment of the Foreign Affairs Council which I attended in Brussels on 28 May. The importance of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Issues (30 May 2013)

Joe Costello: Access to quality education is a fundamental right which enables communities around the world overcome inequality and tackle the causes of poverty and hunger. While there have been very significant advances in terms of access to education in developing countries over the last decade, progress has been uneven. Today, 61 million children of primary school age remain out of school and almost...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Provision (30 May 2013)

Joe Costello: The Government is strongly committed to Ireland's overseas aid programme. Last month we launched Ireland's new Policy on International Development, "One World, One Future". The policy clearly sets out our vision for a sustainable and just world, and our goals and areas of focus for the coming years. It reaffirms the Government's commitment to international development and its centrality to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Issues (30 May 2013)

Joe Costello: As the Deputy is aware from replies to previous Questions on this matter, I share concerns that biofuel production, unless properly regulated, can have a negative impact on food production, and on food prices. My colleague, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, takes the lead on Government policy in relation to biofuels and EU policy on biofuels, including the...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (29 May 2013)

Joe Costello: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has recently carried out a review of the election observation roster. Following a call for applications, which was issued by the Department, and an appraisal process against published criteria, 200 individuals with a strong mix of skills and experience were selected to serve on a new roster, which came into effect on 15 May 2013. Due to the high...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Departmental Funding (28 May 2013)

Joe Costello: The development education programme managed by Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade seeks to deepen the understanding of the Irish public on issues relating to global poverty and development. The Department issues a call every year for proposals for annual grants from Non-Governmental Organisations and education institutions in Ireland to help build a stronger...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid (28 May 2013)

Joe Costello: The deadly tornado which struck the city of Moore in Oklahoma on the afternoon of 20 May caused widespread damage and destruction to the city itself and the surrounding district. The tornado's winds exceeded two hundred miles per hour, flattened entire blocks and demolished two schools and a hospital during the fifty minute period during which it passed through the area. Twenty four people...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Provision (28 May 2013)

Joe Costello: Combating global hunger and under-nutrition is a key pillar of our foreign policy and our overseas development assistance programme, and this was reconfirmed earlier this month when we launched Ireland’s new policy for international development, 'One World, One Future'. Indeed, I think it would be fair to say that Ireland, for many years, has been a leader on hunger and nutrition even...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Oversight (28 May 2013)

Joe Costello: I was delighted to have participated in the conference organised by Alliance 2015 in Dublin last March on 'Scaling Up EU Impact on Community Resilience and Nutrition'. The conclusions of this conference are closely aligned to the Government’s development priorities for Ireland's EU Presidency. A central focus for Ireland's Presidency, which is strongly mirrored in the outcomes of this...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid (28 May 2013)

Joe Costello: In September 2012, the European Commission launched its proposal for the establishment of the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, as provided for under the Lisbon Treaty. This proposed programme, known as the EU Aid Volunteers Initiative, is aimed at strengthening the EU’s capacity to respond to humanitarian crises and at building the capacity and resilience of vulnerable...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Trade Statistics (28 May 2013)

Joe Costello: I visited Vietnam in October, 2012 to see the impact of the aid programme, to promote trade between our two countries and to support a number of Irish companies working in Vietnam. Ireland’s trade with Vietnam over the past five years has increased significantly, as outlined in the following table, based on figures from the Central Statistics Office: Year ...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (28 May 2013)

Joe Costello: At present, a total of 6.8 million people require immediate humanitarian assistance inside Syria. There are over 4 million Syrians who have been internally displaced, while a further 1.5 million people have been forced to abandon their country altogether. Countries hosting refugees, such as Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon, are under great pressure as the influx continues. There are also...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Election Monitoring (22 May 2013)

Joe Costello: International election monitoring missions play an important role in the promotion of democracy and human rights. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade maintains a roster of observers for election monitoring missions. We aim to ensure that, when requested, Ireland is represented at an appropriate level in international observation missions for both elections and constitutional...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Official Engagements (21 May 2013)

Joe Costello: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) will hold a Regional Conference in Geneva on 1-2 July 2013 on the theme of Enabling choices: Population Priorities for the 21st Century. It will bring together 200-250 representatives of governments, including high-level officials, with representatives of national parliaments, academia and Non-Governmental Organisations. The Conference will review...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Investment in Agriculture Conference (16 May 2013)

Joe Costello: Good nutrition and food security are important pathways out of poverty. If investments in agriculture are designed to enhance nutrition outcomes, we can help stop the devastating and irreversible consequences of under-nutrition on child development and we can increase the economic potential of nations. It is estimated that eliminating under-nutrition in very young children could add up to 11...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Summits (16 May 2013)

Joe Costello: Fighting global hunger is a priority for Ireland's International Development Programme. Under-nutrition is an often silent element of hunger which has devastating consequences. Over four in ten children under the age of five in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are undernourished. Under-nutrition not only puts these children at greater risk of infection and death, but it also stops them...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Conferences (16 May 2013)

Joe Costello: I represented Ireland at the Somalia Conference in London on 7 May which was attended by representatives of more than 50 countries and international organisations. The conference discussed a wide range of issues relating to ongoing efforts to consolidate lasting peace and stability in Somalia after twenty years of conflict and lawlessness. Significant progress has been made on...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid (16 May 2013)

Joe Costello: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 84 together. Significant progress has been made in recent years to improve the scale and effectiveness of the response of the international community to major disasters and humanitarian crises. This has included the provision by Ireland and other donors of predictable emergency response funding. However, disasters on the scale of the earthquake in...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Issues (16 May 2013)

Joe Costello: The recent report compiled by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union, ‘Making the most of Africa’s Commodities: Industrialization for Growth, Jobs and Economic Transformation’, places a spotlight on Africa’s gradual emergence as a global economic power. The report highlights how the continent should take advantage of this...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Humanitarian Aid (16 May 2013)

Joe Costello: On 15 April 2013, I joined my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr. Simon Coveney, T.D., in signing a three-year Strategic Partnership Agreement with the World Food Programme (WFP) on the occasion of the WFP Executive Director’s visit to Dublin to participate in the Hunger-Nutrition-Climate Justice Conference. The WFP is the world’s largest...