Results 401-420 of 3,353 for in 'Written Answers' speaker:Joe Costello

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (14 Nov 2012)

Joe Costello: Since the Millennium Development Goals were agreed by global community in 2000, the number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen significantly – including in sub Saharan Africa where rates were highest. Since this time many more children have access to safe water; more girls and boys are attending school, and far fewer people are dying of preventable illness such as malaria...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (14 Nov 2012)

Joe Costello: On 10 October the European Commission published its annual Enlargement Strategy including Progress Reports on each of the countries of the Western Balkans. The substance of the reports will be discussed by the General Affairs Council and European Council in December. The decisions reached by the Council will shape the agenda on the EU’s enlargement policy during Ireland’s...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (14 Nov 2012)

Joe Costello: One year on from the devastating famine and food crisis which killed tens of thousands of people across the Horn of Africa, the humanitarian situation across much of the region remains extremely fragile. While a huge relief effort, followed by good rains last autumn, saved hundreds of thousands of lives, the crisis forced many more from their homes, devastated their livelihoods and left them...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Election Monitoring Missions (13 Nov 2012)

Joe Costello: I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 166 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (6 Nov 2012)

Joe Costello: Ireland has had a bilateral aid programme with Uganda since 1994. Since starting our work in Uganda, we have witnessed huge improvements in the quality of life for the Ugandan people. Peace has returned to most of the country after generations of war. There are now 8.3 million pupils in primary schools compared to 2.5 million in 1997. The HIV prevalence rate has been reduced dramatically...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (6 Nov 2012)

Joe Costello: Ireland’s aid programme prioritises the fight against global poverty and hunger. Every day it saves lives and builds capacity for the future – making a real difference in the lives of millions. The programme is central to our foreign policy, has an enviable international reputation, and consistently enjoys strong political and public support. Over the past five years, and...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (24 Oct 2012)

Joe Costello: Ireland’s aid programme prioritises the fight against global poverty and hunger. Every day it saves lives and builds capacity for the future – making a real difference in the lives of millions. The programme is central to our foreign policy, has an enviable international reputation, and consistently enjoys strong political and public support. For 2012, the Government has...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Oversight (18 Oct 2012)

Joe Costello: Ireland’s aid programme prioritises the fight against global poverty and hunger. Every day it saves lives and builds capacity for the future – making a real difference in the lives of millions. The programme is central to our foreign policy, has an enviable international reputation, and consistently enjoys strong political and public support. Our Programme for Government...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (3 Oct 2012)

Joe Costello: Ireland’s aid programme prioritises the fight against global poverty and hunger. Every day it saves lives and builds capacity for the future. The programme is central to our foreign policy, enjoys strong support across the political spectrum and has an enviable international reputation.It reflects the values of the Irish people and is strongly supported by the public. This is clearly...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid (25 Sep 2012)

Joe Costello: Ireland’s EU Presidency offers an important opportunity to lead and influence debate on international development issues, with a credibility based on the strength and effectiveness of our aid programme. In focusing on EU development policy during the Presidency, we will seek to build on the strong focus in Ireland’s aid programme on the fight to end hunger and undernutrition...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: International Summits (18 Sep 2012)

Joe Costello: The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development which took place in Rio de Janeiro in June, marked the twentieth anniversary of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development and the tenth anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. The goal of the Summit was to secure renewed international political commitment for sustainable development, with a focus on...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (19 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The Government's aid programme, managed by Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is strongly focused on the fight against poverty and hunger and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The fifth of these Goals focuses on reducing maternal mortality and achieving universal access to reproductive health, including ante-natal care and family planning services....

Written Answers — Humanitarian Aid: Humanitarian Aid (19 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The humanitarian situation in Syria has deteriorated rapidly in the past number of months. Estimates of those affected by the violence range from 1.5 to 3 million, with the lack of precise data indicative of the challenging situation on the ground for both humanitarian actors and the media. In the year since the current crisis began in March 2011, more than 11,000 deaths have been reported....

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (19 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The Government's aid programme, which is managed by Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, channels a significant proportion of funding through development Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). This reflects the strong contribution which Irish NGOs are making to the fight against world poverty and hunger, and the broad support which they continue to receive from the Irish...

Written Answers — Humanitarian Access: Humanitarian Access (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 51 together. The Government remains seriously concerned about the situation in Sudan and South Sudan, just one year on from South Sudan's independence. We are working with our EU partners to ensure that humanitarian access is granted to the thousands of people affected by the conflict in the region. The humanitarian crisis in the region has been...

Written Answers — White Paper on Irish Aid: White Paper on Irish Aid (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid set out clearly the basis and the priorities for Ireland's official aid programme, which is working on behalf of the Irish people to improve the lives of the world's poorest people. The programme is recognised internationally for its sharp focus on poverty and hunger, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, for its partnership approach, and for its leadership in...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: The situation in Mali is of serious concern to the Government and our partners in the European Union. In April, the Foreign Affairs Council agreed strong Conclusions which repeated the EU's condemnation of the seizure of power by force in Mali in March and called for an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians and the restoration of civil, constitutional government. The EU...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 32 together. The Government shares the concerns about the situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender persons and activists in Uganda. We have been following developments on this issue closely, through our Embassy in Kampala, and we have consistently made our views known to the Ugandan authorities. We are concerned about reports of ongoing...

Written Answers — Trade Agreements: Trade Agreements (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: Since 2002, the EU has been negotiating a series of new Economic Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States. The Agreements are required as a result of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rulings that the unilateral trade preferences previously granted to the ACP countries established unfair discrimination between developing countries. Several years ago, there...

Written Answers — Humanitarian Access: Humanitarian Access (11 Jul 2012)

Joe Costello: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 55 together. The international humanitarian system has undergone significant reform since the Asian tsunami of 2004. Important lessons have been learned in the intervening period from the shortcomings in the international response and major steps have been taken to improve the effectiveness, predictability and accountability of the system as a whole....