Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Before I commence, I welcome the fact that a group of children is present in the Gallery. I thank Senators for the opportunity to address the House on Ireland's new policy for international development - One World, One Future: Ireland's Policy for International Development - as well as other recent developments relevant to the Government's commitment to international co-operation.

The past five months have been busy, to say the least. We have been using our Presidency of the Council of the European Union to move towards a common EU position on the post-2015 development agenda and to advance EU policy on both food and nutrition security and resilience. We have also been active responding to the humanitarian crises in Mali, Syria, Somalia and elsewhere and in engaging in the negotiations on the European Union's multi-annual financial framework budget in the context of areas relevant to development co-operation. I will discuss these matters in greater detail later but I wish, first, to return to what is a significant moment for Ireland’s commitment to a sustainable and just world, namely, the publication of One World, One Future: Ireland's Policy for International Development, which the Tánaiste and I launched last week.

In the first instance, I wish to comment on the review of the 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid. Our new policy on international development was born out of that review and out of the comprehensive period of reflection, listening and learning to which it gave rise. A commitment to review the 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid was included in the programme for Government published in 2011. This review, which commenced over a year ago, sought to examine the progress made by the aid programme during the past six years and review the changing context, in Ireland and overseas, in which we operate. An added dimension was to propose clear priorities to guide the Government's overseas aid programme in the years ahead. The review reached over 1,000 people through public consultation meetings throughout the country and overseas. It involved meetings with NGOs, the private sector and other interest groups in Ireland. It also included consultations with the Houses of the Oireachtas, including the Seanad, which I addressed on the matter on 9 May last year. The consultation process, therefore, provided a unique opportunity to listen to the views and experiences of people, both here in Ireland and in the countries in which we work.

At this juncture, I wish to thank those Senators who participated in the review and who made the process relating to it so vibrant. I also wish to acknowledge the Irish Aid expert advisory group, chaired by the former Minister for Justice, Nora Owen, in the context of the independent oversight role it played with regard to validating the review.

As a result of this extensive review I am confident that our new policy, One World, One Future, presents a clear direction for Ireland's contribution to international development in the years ahead. We have set out three goals under the new policy: first, reduced hunger and stronger resilience; second, sustainable development, inclusive of economic growth; and, third, better governance, human rights and accountability. To achieve our goals we have identified six priority areas for action: global hunger, fragile states, climate change and development, trade and economic growth, essential services, and human rights and accountability. Most important, we will work even harder on the inter-connections between all these priority areas for action. Co-ordination is important in this regard.

The new policy reaffirms our leading global role on hunger. It affirms the need for more comprehensive responses to the impacts of climate change and it places particular emphasis on responding to the needs of fragile states, that is, states coming out of conflict, subject to armed conflict or subject to extreme natural disasters. In this context, I refer to the recent announcement that Sierra Leone has been designated a new key partner country for the Government. Just over ten years ago Sierra Leone came out of a civil war. The new approach recognises the importance of human rights in all that we do and, in particular, the need to focus our efforts on better responses to gender equality and disability. We will continue to work with partners who have a proven ability to deliver quality programmes and who deliver results for poor communities. In this context our partnership with Irish-based NGOs will remain as an important dimension of the programme. It will have a particular emphasis on demonstrating value for money, delivering results and contributing to the strengthening of civil society organisations in our key partner countries. While affirming the centrality of the reduction of poverty and inequality, the new Irish Aid policy emphasises the need to attach greater importance to economic growth, the development of the private sector and trade. It emphasises the importance of international co-operation to enable developing countries to grow and finance their own development and, over time, become less dependent on international assistance.

Our clear view under this policy is that aid alone will not solve the problems of poverty and hunger. Our contribution is not only through the financial assistance we provide. We have a strong voice on the international stage which we will continue to use. Moreover, Ireland has clear capacity in our people and in our institutions, which we will harness, including through a new volunteering initiative.

The direction this policy sets out, although focused on the needs of the developing countries with whom we work, is also in our interests. By leveraging the goodwill and strong partnerships that we have built up through our aid programme, we can contribute to our economic recovery in Ireland. Importantly, the policy recognises our ability to contribute to good development outcomes not only through our foreign policy, but through policies right across Government as well. This is why we are committing to a stronger whole-of-government approach and to being more accountable for our actions. The policy will include the submission of a biennial report to the Oireachtas on progress made and results being achieved through Ireland's efforts.

It should be recognised that this new policy has been formulated in difficult circumstances in Ireland and throughout Europe. However, in 2013 it continues to reflect a commitment by the Government to ensure overseas development assistance remains an important policy priority and that this is reflected in annual budgetary allocations.

We have recognised that our spending on overseas aid must be fully transparent, providing maximum value for money and delivering positive results in the lives of those who it is targeting. Accountability will be central in this regard and we have set out clearly in this policy who we are accountable to and how. We will expect the same standards from those through whom we channel aid funding. We will be encouraging an even greater partnership and oversight by the Oireachtas in all that we do, including through engagement with the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade. With this new policy we mark the beginning of a fresh chapter for Ireland in international development. It is a policy we enter into with the confidence that there is much to build on and a strong commitment in Ireland at all levels to making a difference in the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people with whom we work.

I refer to Ireland's Presidency of the European Union Council. Ireland has had an active, efficient and effective Presidency in the area of international development following detailed preparations last year. We have worked in close co-operation with our partners, in particular the EU High Representative for foreign and security policy, Dame Catherine Ashton, and her European external action service, to achieve concrete outcomes in areas of mutual interest. Some 12 months ago we identified three key areas in the European Union's development and humanitarian agenda which Ireland, working with the EU High Representative, would seek to progress during our Presidency. These three areas are: first, ensuring that the EU actively engages in development of the post-2015 agenda; second, highlighting the links between the thematic issues of hunger, nutrition and climate change; and, third, forging stronger links between emergency humanitarian relief and long-term development aid. As we move towards the development segment of the Foreign Affairs Council on 28 May, we can say with justification that we have made substantial progress in all three priority areas and have met or are on line to meet the goals set out at the start of our Presidency.

The main issue in the international development agenda is what will replace the millennium development goals, which were agreed in 2000 and which are due to expire in 2015. Establishing a new development framework is important and this is reflected in the intensity and range of discussions taking place throughout the world, including in the European Union, at the high level panel appointed by the United Nations Secretary General, at the UN open working group on the sustainable development goals and at the 11 thematic consultations and over 50 country dialogues being organised by the UN throughout the world.

At an early stage in our preparations for the Presidency we identified that EU engagement in this global discussion was essential and that Ireland, as holders of the EU Council Presidency during this crucial period, would be well placed to shape and focus the European Union's position, especially on the UN special event on the millennium development goals in September 2013. The special event will be one of the last opportunities for international leaders to review progress being made in advance of the 2015 target date and will be a starting point for considering what will happen after 2015. Working with the EU High Representative, the three commissioners responsible for humanitarian aid, development aid and the environment and the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, we are now in the process of developing an EU position on what a post 2015 framework might look like. Our aim is for a position that is coherent and effective. This will be discussed at the development segment of the Foreign Affairs Council on 28 May. It was also the main point of discussion at the informal meeting of EU development ministers which I hosted in Dublin in February and at which there was unanimous agreement on the way forward.

Given our well-established international reputation in development assistance, I am pleased to note the Irish thread throughout the post-2015 process. In addition to our EU Presidency role, we are a member of the UN open working group on sustainable development goals. Our Ambassador to the UN in New York, Anne Anderson, is co-facilitating the UN special event in September along with her South African counterpart.

As we look forward to post-2015, we should remember that the millennium development goals agreed in 2000 have been a useful international framework to guide the efforts of the international community in reducing global poverty and disadvantage. It will be essential that the discussions on a successor framework for the MDGs for the next 15 years and discussions in the open working group on recommendations for sustainable development goals are coherent and mutually reinforcing and that we work towards a coherent set of goals for the post-2015 framework. This has been the thrust of the work we have been doing during the past six months to bring the European Union together with a common purpose and in a coherent fashion on the sustainable development goals and millennium development goals. We have been speaking with one voice since 2008 because Croatia has been in on all the talks as well.

We will speak with a single voice and common purpose, coming from the European Union, in September when the decisions are due to be made by the United Nations.

On responding to huger, nutrition and climate change, which has been a focus of our global endeavours over the years, the global community has made major progress in fighting poverty since the millennium development goals were agreed in 2000. Despite this, the reality is that one billion people still live in extreme poverty, 870 million people live with hunger, almost one in three children in the world lacks the nutrients they need to develop their full potential physically and mentally, and malnutrition is the underlying cause of the deaths of 7,000 children under five every day. Climate change is already having a direct impact on the poorest communities in the poorest countries, which have done the least to cause it.

The world's population will reach 9 billion by 2050. To feed this population, agricultural production will have to increase by about 60% and, over the same period, it is estimated that climate change could reduce food production by a quarter. That is the dilemma. The major international conference which my Department organised in Dublin Castle on 15 and 16 April, in partnership with the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, sought to think about these challenges differently. It focused on the interlinked themes of hunger, nutrition and the impact of climate change, and brought together policymakers and more than 100 representations from grassroots communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The aim was to listen and learn from local views, practices and coping mechanisms in order to contribute to the process of negotiating the post-2015 global development framework. Representatives of farmers, pastoralists, herders, fisherfolk and local civil society constituted one third of the participants at the conference. They brought their own experience of coping with these challenges and we had rich and productive discussions. Stakeholders and decision-makers listened to what was said by those from the grassroots in developing countries.

The clear lessons we learned at the conference were that local people must be listened to, and their solutions must feed into the policy debate post- 2015; we need to link policy development processes more effectively to local reality; we need to invest more effectively in knowledge, education and science; and we need to take dramatic action to empower poor households, especially women, who make up 80% of the smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, to engage in decision making, which is a political issue. These are key messages which Ireland will take to the policy discussions on a successor framework to the millennium development goals.

Following on the lessons emerging from this conference, Ireland's focus in these discussions will be on the need to set specific new targets on hunger and nutrition. These are areas in which Ireland is already regarded as a global leader by the various development agencies and countries throughout the world. We will consider new targets on hunger and nutrition. There will be a new, stronger, emphasis on agriculture, especially climate sensitive agriculture. There will also be a stronger and much more specific approach to the rights of women and girls.

I will discuss responding to humanitarian needs. When disaster strikes, help is needed, and it is needed fast. Helping the world's most vulnerable populations in crises such as tsunamis, droughts, famines and floods can make the difference between life and death. However, while much has been achieved in terms of poverty reduction across the globe, the number and frequency of disasters such as floods, droughts, landslides and earthquakes are increasing. They will continue to increase as climate change and global warming generate more severe weather related events.

In addition, many emergencies are more complex and protracted, and there is a growing trend of attacks on aid workers. Ireland's policy approach is to provide flexible and timely funding to organisations which demonstrate a clear capacity to deliver effective assistance in a manner that is responsive to identified need and adheres to the core humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. We are also fully committed to the principles and practice of international humanitarian law.

Irish humanitarian assistance has a particular emphasis on targeting forgotten emergencies where needs are immense but which do not attract the attention of the international media. There may be an immediate focus on an event for a couple of days or weeks, but all of a sudden it is forgotten and the funds dry up. For example, in 2012 funding was provided by Ireland for emergencies in Mali, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. In addition to this emergency humanitarian assistance, funding is provided to assist communities and countries to recover from the aftermath of natural or man-made disasters and to improve their capacity to better prepare for similar crises in the future.

The total funding provided by Ireland for emergency relief and recovery activities in 2012 was €102 million. To date, I have approved funding of €47 million, ensuring that the world's most vulnerable people receive essential, life-saving relief and support to rebuild their lives in countries such as Syria and its neighbours, Mali, the Horn of Africa, Sudan and the Sahel region. An enormous sum of money is also given on a voluntary basis by Irish individuals to various charities and non-governmental organisations, which also reaches many countries.

I will focus on Africa. Politically and economically, it is building on its success of the past decade. Annual economic growth is averaging around 5%, and with this growth has come opportunities for trade and a stronger role for emerging economies in world affairs. The Africa strategy of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade builds on Ireland's long-standing relationship with Africa based on political support and the Irish people's commitment to working to end poverty and hunger in some of the poorest countries on the continent. Underlining our strengthened focus on contacts with Africa, last year I led trade focused visits to South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria. It was a particular pleasure to lead the first trade visit from Ireland to west Africa in more than 20 years, and the development of stronger links in that region will remain an objective this year under the Africa strategy, with a full trade mission to west Africa planned for later this year.

As indicated in our new aid policy, I believe there is a great opportunity for the private sector to play a more important role in developing sustainable economic growth in countries such as Ghana and Nigeria. I visited Tema port in Ghana, which is benefitting from the advice and experience of the Dublin Port Company and Belfast Harbour in a training programme with the UN to improve the management structures in the ports in order that perishable goods can be dealt with much more quickly and port activities streamlined. There is a two-year programme, spearheaded by the Dublin Port Company, which has been very successful. It is funded by Irish Aid. Through the Department and our embassies across Africa and in close co-operation with Enterprise Ireland and other agencies and business associations, we have committed ourselves to helping with research, networking and groundwork that can identify and facilitate two-way trade and investment between Ireland and Africa.

On accountability, I know the House will share my deep concern over the misappropriation of Irish development funds in Uganda last year. While effectively managing our aid programme in challenging environments is part of the work we do, Ireland has always made it abundantly clear that we have no tolerance for fraud or any other form of financial irregularity in regard to our development programme. I am committed to ensuring we learn from what occurred in Uganda to strengthen further our systems of financial management. We must do everything we can to minimise the potential for any misuse of Irish taxpayers' funds that is spent in our partner countries, while still being able to make a positive contribution to the lives of some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world.

As Members know, the Government of Uganda accepted full responsibility for its misappropriation of Irish development funds and has repaid the €4 million in full. Other countries, including Norway and Denmark, put funding into the same basket, in the same bank, and were affected in the same way as Ireland. For 2013, we are delivering a significantly reduced aid programme for Uganda through non-government partners. In addition, the capacity of the embassy in Kampala in the areas of financial management and audit has been strengthened. The embassy is continuing to work closely with and support the Auditor General of Uganda, who discovered the fraud and is playing a critical role in the oversight of financial management in State institutions. Incidentally, the Auditor General was trained by Irish Aid and was fearless in the face of the fraud he uncovered within his country's banking system.

Several additional steps have been taken to ensure the internal financial and risk management systems used to oversee and manage Ireland's aid programme are sufficiently strong and robust. In particular, the recommendations of the evaluation and audit unit of my Department following its investigation into the Ugandan fraud are being implemented. The ambassadors in the overseas missions that manage Irish Aid's bilateral programmes have undertaken a full review of their financial and risk management systems to ensure any weaknesses are highlighted and appropriate measures are taken to address same. The Secretary General of my Department recently held a high-level meeting with all heads of mission of embassies that manage aid programmes at which the importance of managing risk around Irish development funding and of strong vigilance in the management of aid programmes were underlined.

The evaluation and audit unit will continue to build on the important work already undertaken. The unit has begun an intensive programme of assessments of all our partner countries, including examining the financial controls and risk management systems in place and ensuring those systems are fit for purpose. This work is expected to be completed by the summer and I have asked the unit to report its conclusions to the Tánaiste and me. I am committed to the full implementation of any recommendations the unit may make. I am confident that the lessons we learn from this exercise will contribute to strengthening the oversight and accountability of the Irish Aid programme.

I thank the Acting Chairman and Members for the opportunity to address the Seanad this afternoon. I look forward to our discussion today and any feedback or questions on the issues I have outlined. I am grateful for the opportunity to go through our new policy document, One World, One Future, and to outline the work we have done in the past six months. As I explained, we have had a ministerial informal meeting in Dublin and a special conference has been arranged. The conclusions we will sign up to on 28 May will allow us to present an agreed European Union position on the way forward for the next generation at the United Nations summit in September.