Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I second the motion that Seanad Éireann acknowledges the millennium development goals and that we are committed to reducing the maternal mortality by 75% between 1990 and 2015 in developing countries. I also acknowledge the commitment of the Government and its substantial contribution to the new UN population fund agency, and that we will support 75 of the poorest countries to deliver better services for women before, during and after birth. I agree with all those aspects of the motion. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I acknowledge his announcement that he has now provided over €3 million in funding to programmes targeting maternal mortality and reproductive health in developing countries. Let there be no doubt that the Government's intention is sincere.

I acknowledge there was a lack of response to the millennium development goals and perhaps we should have pushed a little harder. Nevertheless, the sincerity is there and we will reduce maternal mortality. The least amount of progress was in the area of maternal mortality. At present, the number of women dying in child birth is huge. The risk of dying is great among those giving birth, with 500,000 dying last year. It is horrific to read that and the Minister of State is very much aware of it. As a nation, we must do everything in our power to see how we can make sure those numbers will decrease annually.

We are the first country to contribute to the UN population fund agency. I love its beautiful line, "No Woman Should Die Giving Life". We must keep that in our thinking all the time, because if every country adopts that line in its commitment to reducing maternity mortality, then the sincerity will be reinforced. This fund is providing funding to 75 countries to help women before, during and after birth. The agency is promoting the right of every man, woman and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. It is trying to reduce poverty, to ensure that pregnancy is safe and wanted, that every young person is free from AIDS and is treated with dignity and respect. That is the value of this agency.

I did not know anything about the agency until it became part of my brief to understand the nature of overseas aid and to see how I could contribute to make sure that Ireland's contribution will be to the forefront. I compliment the agency for making sure that its concepts are endorsed. Ireland is a strong supporter of this agency and it contributed over €4.5 million to the organisation in 2007. Ireland also contributes over €1 million for reproductive health issues such as contraceptives and basic obstetric supplies. These are areas that we should be promoting and we should be making sure that all the facilities are available for pregnant women. I wonder if €500,000 is enough, or whether back-up supports are available to help young women in these situations. We need to reduce the number of those who die at child birth for the simple reason that they do not have the facilities, the supports or the supplies available. I question the Minister of State on that sum. We are talking about 500,000 women who die every year at child birth.

I am also aware that €500,000 is provided to stop female genital cutting, a phrase which sounds awful. How can we reach out to these young people when over 3 million girls are at risk of this practice annually? I would like to shout the question from the rooftops as to how we can stop it. Is there any way to break through this religious and cultural way of life in some of these communities? We must do it. I want to be a leader in this, if I can. These young people are vulnerable, and include baby girls only one or two years old. They come to Ireland as asylum seekers on the basis that if they are sent back to their own countries, they will be subjected to these practices.

My heart is in the right place when I talk about this issue. The Minister must do everything he can to promote these changes. It can be done through public relations exercises, through our services, our NGOs and our missionaries. The infrastructure is in place and we must move to make sure that this is no longer a part of our thinking. We should not be talking about issues like this in ten years' time.

I welcome the goals we have set for the next ten years. The policy in this respect is to reduce maternal mortality and ensure reproductive health. We, as a nation, should do that in anyway we can. We should shout from the rooftops to protect young and older women from atrocities carried out in sub-Saharan states.