Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State back to the House and invite him to lead off the debate.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I am delighted to have the opportunity to address the Seanad today at the beginning of what may turn out to be one of the most important years in world development. This year, 2015, will see international agreements on a new global development agenda, agreement on how to finance this agenda, and a legally-binding agreement on climate change. These agreements will affect all of us, but they will particularly affect the poorest and most vulnerable. The year 2015 is also the European Year of Development, dedicated to building public awareness of the results achieved through development aid and a greater understanding of global justice issues.

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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On a point of order, may we have a copy of the Minister of State's speech?

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Will I proceed?

Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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However, before we look forward to the events of 2015, I would like to take a look back at some of the key achievements and processes of Irish Aid in the past year. Last year, the Government allocated almost €600 million to Official Development Assistance. This represents a significant investment by Ireland in building a fairer, more peaceful and more sustainable world.

This represents a significant investment by Ireland in building a fairer, more peaceful and more sustainable world.

As a small island nation, our fate is inextricably linked with those of other nations and peoples. We give aid because it is right to help those in need, but also because we understand that it is in our interest to live in a more equal and prosperous world. According to a recent Europe-wide survey, this view is shared by the majority of Irish people, of whom almost nine out of ten believe that assisting developing countries is important, and more than two thirds are supportive of an increase in the aid budget.

The past year has been marked by significant policy developments, including three seminal publications - the Irish Aid Framework for Action, the peer review of our aid programme by the OECD development assistance committee, DAC, and Ireland's foreign policy review, The Global Island. The framework for action, which was launched in September, will guide policy and programming decisions on Ireland's aid programme between now and 2017. The framework outlines the outcomes, actions, and institutional structures necessary to achieve the goals of our international development policy, One World, One Future. These outcomes include areas that Ireland has worked on for decades, including tackling hunger and poverty and improving access to basic services such as health, education and social protection. It also includes relatively new areas of work in our aid programme, such as addressing climate change, governance and human rights issues and integrating trade and inclusive economic growth. Irish Aid's internal structures have been reorganised to align with the new framework, with new policy teams established on inclusive economic growth, hunger and resilience, governance and accountability and essential services. Given time limitations, I do not propose to go into detail on the content of the framework, but I encourage all Senators to read the document, which is available on the Irish Aid website, because it is easily digestible and well thought through.

The report of the OECD DAC peer review of Ireland's aid programme was published in December. This is the most serious, wide-ranging and in-depth review of each country's aid programme done by peers in other government aid programmes. Ireland's review was carried out by Austria and Portugal, with Lithuania as an observer. The review gave a positive assessment of Ireland's aid programme, particularly the extent to which it is targeted at the poorest countries and reaches those who are most vulnerable. It commended Ireland on grounding its policies in the needs and priorities of its partner countries and having a clear overall vision for development co-operation. The review noted that Ireland plays a leadership role at a global level on its priority issues, particularly hunger and nutrition. It also praises Ireland for responding rapidly and effectively to natural and other disasters. The Ebola crisis in west Africa is a case in point. The peer review provided valuable recommendations on several issues, including improving our whole-of-government approach to development and encouraging greater sharing of information on programmes and projects, both externally and internally. Work is under way to address most of these recommendations, and officials in my Department will address the areas highlighted over the coming year.

The third key policy document developed in 2014, and published only a few weeks ago, is Ireland's foreign policy review, The Global Island. This considers the challenges and opportunities for Ireland in a new globalised world under five closely linked themes: our values, our people, our prosperity, our place in Europe, and our influence. It sets out Ireland's support for a fairer, more just, more secure and more sustainable world, including through our development aid programme, our human rights and peacekeeping policies, and our engagement with global issues such as climate change. The Global Island again reaffirms the centrality of the Irish Aid programme to our foreign policy, and recognises the aid programme as a vital tool in addressing the complex factors behind poverty, hunger and inequality. We will continue to promote development as a key part of our values and our foreign policy.

Last year, 2014, was also a year which presented massive humanitarian challenges. The Ebola crisis and an unprecedented refugee crisis arising from conflict and natural disasters caused untold suffering and put a heavy strain on international humanitarian architecture. Ireland played a strong role in the international response to the Ebola crisis through our embassy in Sierra Leone and our support to partners based in affected countries. Almost 9,000 people have died from infection with the Ebola virus and more than 22,000 people are reported to have been infected. Ireland provided funding of almost €18 million in 2014 directly and to organisations working on the Ebola response in Sierra Leone and Liberia, which are both partner countries for Ireland. The funding supported Ebola treatment facilities, community awareness raising, contact tracing and child nutrition programmes. Ireland also dispatched 42 tonnes of essential household items as part of our rapid response initiative, to be distributed to affected communities. These included blankets, tents, mosquito nets, soap and water tanks.

I travelled to Sierra Leone in October last year and witnessed the difference being made by the work of our embassy staff and Irish Aid's support to our partner organisations on the ground. I met Irish aid workers in organisations such as Goal and Concern, as well as the Sierra Leone Government and UN partners. While the challenges were overwhelming, I was hugely impressed with the dedication of those working to alleviate the crisis, and with the effectiveness of our response. I pay particular tribute to our key personnel on the ground, including our ambassador, Ms Sinead Walsh, and her team, and acknowledge the influential role she has had in ensuring an adequate and proactive international response to the crisis. There appears to have been a welcome slowdown in infection rates in recent weeks, though there are fluctuations from country to country. It is critical, however, that we are not complacent as an international community. Ireland will continue to support the response to the Ebola crisis and its secondary impacts on communities in 2015.

The ongoing conflict in Syria and the region has created a deeply troubling humanitarian crisis. More than 200,000 people have died, with 12.2 million people in need of immediate life-saving support within Syria. Due to the violence and the lack of access to aid, 3.8 million people have left Syria for neighbouring countries. Many of those in need of humanitarian assistance are beyond reach, with both the Syrian Government and rebel factions using siege tactics and heavy weaponry in populated areas. The targeting of humanitarian workers by Islamic State also prevents millions from receiving the help they desperately need. The UN has responded by delivering cross-border aid, even where the Assad regime has withheld permission.

Since 2011, Ireland has provided nearly €29 million in humanitarian support, delivered through UN partners, the Red Cross and Irish NGOs. Ireland's support has been focused on supporting people displaced within Syria and those across the wider region. In December 2014, the UN released its 2015 Syria Crisis appeal plans, requesting more than $8.4 billion to meet the needs of 18 million people in Syria and across the region. We are considering how Ireland can best respond to the need for additional assistance in 2015.

Ireland is also continuing to respond to acute crises in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Iraq, which have witnessed displacements of huge numbers of people due to ongoing violence. Most recently, we have mobilised emergency supplies to respond to the devastating floods in Malawi, as part of our rapid response initiative and in co-ordination with our embassy in Lilongwe.

If the past year was filled with important milestones for Irish aid policy and programming, 2015 promises to see key milestones in the global development agenda. With agreements expected on a set of sustainable development goals and an intergovernmental climate change deal, this year has been compared to 1945 in terms of its importance to world development.

The sustainable development goals will be a set of universally applicable goals and targets negotiated and agreed by the world's 193 countries. They are aimed at eradicating poverty, addressing environmental degradation and climate change as well as building a more peaceful, fair and sustainable world. The goals will cover such diverse areas as agriculture, education, gender equality, health, justice, employment and environmental degradation. This has never been attempted before and will be a huge achievement for humanity if successful. This year, 2015, will also see agreement on how to finance these goals at the financing for development conference in Ethiopia in July.

Ireland is privileged to be at the heart of the sustainable development goal process following our appointment as co-facilitators with Kenya of the inter-governmental negotiations to agree the goals. Our appointment is testament to the reputation of Ireland's aid programme, Irish Aid, our proud record of promoting human rights and our participation in peacekeeping right across the globe. This final phase of negotiations officially began on 19 January and will culminate in a summit of world leaders in September 2015.

Agreement on a legally binding climate change treaty will be another critical achievement. Climate change has already negatively affected the lives of millions of people in the world, from small farmers in Africa to those in the small island states of the Pacific. If we fail to act quickly and radically, we are on course to make our own planet uninhabitable for vast numbers of people. That may sound verbose but that is the scenario we are facing. Indeed, recent weather patterns are testament to that fact.

I am proud that Ireland is playing such a key role in establishing this new global agenda and I look forward to ensuring that we contribute to a new era of global development where poverty and hunger are consigned to history. I thank the Acting Chairman and Members for the opportunity to address the Seanad this afternoon. I am grateful for the opportunity to outline the work we have done in the past year and to highlight some of the important upcoming issues for this year. I look forward to our discussion and any feedback or questions Senators may have.

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach seo um thráthnóna chun an t-ábhar tábhachtach seo a phlé. Molaim an Roinn Gnothaí Eachtracha agus Trádála as ucht an méid atá á dhéanamh ag an Roinn chun feabhas a chur ar shaolta daoine in áiteanna áirithe ar fud an domhain.

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his submission. Undoubtedly, there is a great commitment not only from the State, but also from Irish people, who have been very generous, to contributing aid for catastrophes, natural and otherwise, across the globe. Our generosity in that regard is recognised. There is a great deal of public support for ensuring that Ireland continues to play a positive role in this regard. It is a tribute to the people that even in the economic crisis, when so many are economically challenged and suffering a lot of distress in their own lives, they still continue to support Irish Aid and want the Government to continue to do so too. In that regard, we must recognise that we have been falling down. In 2008, we were contributing 0.59% of our GNP and were well on our way to reaching the target of 0.7%, as committed to by many governments on many occasions. I regret the fact that we have now fallen back to 0.43% which indicates that we are going in the wrong direction. There is some criticism due to the Minister of State and the Government in this regard. A central plank of the Labour Party's manifesto and the programme for Government was to increase our overseas aid in order to achieve the 0.7% target.

An issue has arisen in recent years whereby money directed through governments in Africa, and one government in particular, was misappropriated. I know that many efforts were made to recover that money and as far as I know, the situation has now been corrected. However, as a matter of principle, we should be very careful to ensure that we only support governments which have good democratic, accountable and transparent systems in place. The whole purpose of this is to ensure that hard-earned taxpayer's money is directed and focused on those most in need. That money should be focused on tackling poverty, hunger and other health and deprivation issues. In particular, it should target children who suffer most.

The Minister of State mentioned the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone and other countries of west Africa. I commend all of those who have volunteered to help and those who are working on behalf of the State in dispensing public moneys in order to address this very serious health issue in those countries. Indeed, it could become a global health issue. Aid workers are very courageous in what they are doing there and I am glad to note that Irish people are to the forefront in that regard.

The Minister of State also made reference to the conflict in the Middle East. What is happening there at present is abhorrent and almost beyond comprehension. The Muslim world, and Arab countries in particular, are facing serious challenges. The conflict and the displacement and consequent suffering of people in the region is unconscionable, particularly given that the region is awash with money. Qatar and Saudi Arabia, for example, are extremely wealthy countries. I was surprised at the number of tributes paid to the former King of Saudi Arabia on his death, particularly in the context of where some Saudi Arabian money has been directed. It has, in fact, contributed to increasing conflict in the region and elsewhere. Unless politicians and states in the UN who perform at a global level are prepared to call it as it is, rather than looking to their own selfish, strategic interests, this will go on unabated and unchecked to the detriment of the lives of so many.

I have seen some of the refugee camps which have emerged as a result of the crisis in Syria. The Minister of State mentioned that 3.8 million people have left that country since the conflict began, with many more millions displaced internally. These are people who would have had a reasonably good lifestyle. Syrian people are hardworking and entrepreneurial and to see them now confined to refugee camps, where they and their children have no future to look forward to, is a sad reflection on the manner in which we function globally, politically, and economically.

I have also been to Palestinian refugee camps and met Palestinians who have been living there for years. Some of those camps have been in existence since 1948 which is shocking when one thinks of the wealth of the Western world. There has been a failure of political leadership and a lot of it is down to the failure of Israel to deal with the Palestinian issue. Palestinian people, for generations, have experienced nothing better than just existing in refugee camps with no hope of any future.

In that context it would be wrong not to refer to the Iraqi and Syrian areas occupied by what is euphemistically called the ISIS state, where some of the most heinous crimes are being committed and where an inhuman regime is operating. I and other Members condemn the manner in which the Jordanian soldier was killed after his capture. The Geneva Convention sets down a clear framework for dealing with prisoners of war. It is totally unacceptable that such a thing would happen.

I wish to make a concluding point, if the Chair will allow me. The Minister mentioned climate change in passing. Climate change should be a huge priority for Ireland and other countries that have a standard of living to which other countries can only aspire. Climate change is having a particular effect on those who are living in the greatest hardship in various parts of the world. I and members of the foreign affairs committee visited the Philippines recently and toured some areas there. I commend the work being done by Irish Aid and the various NGOs. We were with Plan Ireland, Concern and GOAL. Trócaire does tremendous work as well, although not specifically in that area but elsewhere. It was most impressive to see what they were doing in terms of the sustainable development of aid. They were training people to be carpenters and business people in order that they can not only repair the houses that were damaged in the tsunami but also provide a basis for the future from which they can rebuild when the aid is removed. However, we were told that the Philippines will have tremendous exposure to climate change. Many of the islands and much of the land mass of the Philippines might well be submerged by the sea if climate change is not tackled in a concentrated manner.

I wish the Minister well in his efforts and commend him on his work. However, we must intensify that work and ensure our colleagues in the EU follow suit.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State with responsibility for overseas development, trade promotion and North-South co-operation, Deputy Sherlock. He has a particularly challenging role and he has been making significant progress since he took office.

It is timely to have this debate as it is more than 40 years since the establishment of Ireland's official development assistance. Ireland and the Irish people had engaged with Africa and other developing parts of the world for many years before that, particularly through the many missionaries who travelled from this country and worked among the poorest people in the world. It was a man who started his political career in this House, the late Dr. Garret FitzGerald, who, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, led the establishment of the aid programme when Ireland became a member of the European Union.

Today, Irish Aid is the Government's aid programme, which is managed on behalf of the Irish people by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It is designed to reduce poverty and hunger, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Irish Aid is a key part of Ireland's foreign policy, as recognised in the recent policy review, The Global Island. The aid programme supports long-term development and provides humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries, with a particular focus on eight key partner countries in sub-Saharan Africa and one in Asia.

One of the partner countries is Malawi, which is currently experiencing severe floods. I welcome the announcement yesterday by the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock, that in excess of €500,000 worth of supplies are being airlifted into the region for distribution by Irish Aid partners, Concern, GOAL, Trócaire and the Evangelical Association of Malawi, to help displaced families in the worst affected districts in the southern region of Malawi. More than 630,000 people are affected, which is a staggering figure. There are huge risks of disease due to poor sanitation. Bilateral overseas development aid to Malawi from Ireland amounted to €14 million in 2014, with an additional €6 million channelled through Irish NGOs, missionaries and other Irish agencies.

Irish Aid's contribution in respect of the Ebola crisis has been mentioned. The disease has taken the lives of 9,000 people. A sum of €18 million has been contributed.

The conflict in Syria was mentioned by Senator Walsh. The conflict has seen 200,000 people lose their lives and 12.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Irish Aid has contributed €29 million. We probably should have a wider discussion on our involvement and assistance in the Syrian situation. The number of displaced people is truly frightening. Should we do more in lieu of assistance, possibly by giving homes and assistance here to additional numbers of refugees from Syria? Perhaps the Minister of State would comment on that.

The key focus of the Irish Aid programme in Malawi and other partner countries is strengthening the vulnerable communities' resilience to the effects of climate change and other shocks, improving the livelihood of the poorest communities, and improving food and nutrition security. The Irish Aid programme is guided by Ireland's international development policy, One World, One Future, which was published in 2013 and a detailed implementation plan, Framework for Action, which was published in 2014. The new policy confirms our commitment to achieving the UN target of 0.7% of GNP for overseas development aid when the economic circumstances permit. I share the concerns expressed by Senator Walsh about the cut in overseas development aid since 2008. However, in the past two years the Government has managed to stabilise the figure and hopefully it will increase. The 2015 allocation will be €600 million. The cut since 2008, at 30%, has been quite severe, but the allocation has been stabilised and we hope to see the cut gradually reversed.

Even during the worst of the recession the Irish people strongly supported the work of Irish Aid and wished to help those who are less fortunate. One of the reasons is the reputation of the Irish Aid programme. The Minister referred to the recent peer review, the four yearly examination of Irish development assistance policies. Erik Solheim, the chair of the OECD development assistance committee, commented on the Irish Aid programme and said that Ireland sets an example in focusing development aid on the neediest countries. He said:

Irish development assistance has contributed to the enormous development success of the past couple of decades. Extreme poverty has been halved in one generation. The likelihood of a child dying before the age of five has been halved, saving 17,000 children every day. More than 170 million people, almost 40 times the population of Ireland, are no longer living with chronic hunger. ... Ireland is a world leader in foreign aid to countries most in need. Global development assistance reached a record high of €135 billion last year, but many countries are giving a decreasing share to the least developed countries.

We have less than 12 months left to maximise the progress that was made under the Millennium Development Goals and to put in place a new framework for international development. This new framework must reflect a significant shift to sustainable development that has clear and ambitious targets that can end extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition in a single generation. This initiative will entail great responsibilities and actions for all countries. There will be major challenges in areas such as energy, food, water, climate, conflict resolution and effective governance. Climate change must be at the top of the agenda.

Recently Trócaire brought to our attention a report entitled Feeling the Heat: How Climate Change is Driving Extreme Weather in the Developing World. The report was developed by the department of geography, NUI Maynooth, and drew on 150 publications on recent research. The report shows how climate change is likely to unfold in some of the most vulnerable countries in the world. Climate change is the greatest injustice of our time and the people who do the least to cause it suffer the most.

The Minister of State referred to the legally binding international agreement on climate change that will be sought at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Negotiations to be held in Paris in December. As he stated, Ireland has a key role to play in achieving agreement on the new sustainable development goals as last month the President of the UN General Assembly appointed Ireland and Kenya to co-facilitate the final major international negotiations at the United Nations over the coming year. The appointment is a great honour for Ireland but it also brings huge responsibilities. The challenge for the co-facilitators will be to build a consensus among the 193 member states, on a very broad and comprehensive agenda, to be adopted at a major summit of world leaders to be held in New York in September. We have to succeed because the lives of the world's poorest and most deprived depends on us to convince others that those who are better off must provide resources to help those in the developing work.

I shall finish by wishing the Minister of State continued success and thank the Acting Chairman for his indulgence.

Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
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I call Senator Mooney and he has five minutes.

Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. I thank him for his opening statements on the Government's policy on overseas development aid.

There has been a lot of criticism levelled at the Government for failing to achieve 0.7% GDP by 2015 which was a stated target in the programme for Government. I am a little bit on shaky ground here because I must admit that up to 2007 I was a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. Therefore, I was more informed and contributed to a lot of debates on overseas development aid. If I am right, when the former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, addressed the United Nations in 2000, as part of the Millennium Development Goals, he committed the then Government to achieving the 0.7% GDP at that early stage. However, throughout the Celtic tiger years we never achieved the target although we got very close and then the crash happened. There was a great deal of debate around the early part of 2007, and even some suggestion that we should reduce the percentage again. Please correct me if I am wrong to say that Governments play ping pong with ODA and the rate comes and goes depending on prevailing winds. Since 2008 the percentage has decreased and it has now reached 0.43%. I do not doubt the bona fides of the Government or the Minister of State's Department that they have tried to get a greater share of the pot.

The Minister of State made the point that nine out of ten Irish people believe "assisting developing countries is important, and over two thirds are supportive of an increase in the aid budget." Even with that there are still dissenting voices in this country but that is nothing new. I can remember way back there was a selfish view that we should look after our own people first. In fact, it is not an either-or situation.

The Minister of State is right that the Government, like previous Governments, is committed to the overall concept of providing overseas development aid. However, I am curious about some of the changes included in the policy entitled One World, One Future. He said that the aid programme will now address "climate change, governance and human rights issues and integrating trade and inclusive economic growth." I am rather interested in this development because for a long time the Irish Government was criticised for not addressing or equating human rights issues with overseas development aid. We seem to have adopted a charitable approach that is based on giving aid to six target countries in Africa. Perhaps the list has been changed since.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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There are eight countries in Africa and Vietnam.

Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for the update. There is a view that we should just give the money but ensure it is spent on internal economic projects that will lift people out of relative poverty. However, other countries that provide overseas development aid linked it to trade, a matter on which a great deal of discussion took place. Is that the current policy of governments? Do they now link trade to overseas development aid? I am not sure whether the Minister of State will have time to return to the issue of integrating trade and inclusive economic growth with overseas development aid. I ask him to reassure the House that he is satisfied that the money that goes to target countries is spent wisely. There was a great deal of controversy about Uganda some years ago that created enormous problems for everybody but the Government concerned came out of that rather well. Are modalities in place to ensure that nothing of that nature can recur and that the money is spent wisely?

This debate has afforded us an opportunity to applaud the Government on its continuing policy for overseas development aid. We have also had an opportunity to encourage it, even in the economic circumstances that prevail, to increase the amount and, hopefully, reach 0.7% of GDP. I ask the Minister of State to provide the current figures. Despite the fact that we have not reached 0.7% of GDP, Ireland is still among one of the highest contributors in Europe, as far as I am aware. Perhaps our rank has changed somewhat over the past couple of years. Some years ago we were one of the highest contributors among so-called more affluent countries than Ireland. In that regard, I welcome the opportunity to have this debate and wish the Minister of State well.

Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
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I call Senator Higgins and she has eight minutes.

Lorraine Higgins (Labour)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This is my first opportunity to address him since he was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. I commend him on all the work that he has done and on all the great announcements to provide help to those less fortunate in the world.

Given how integral the year 2015 will be for international development, I welcome today's debate as do all of my colleagues here. In the coming months, the Millennium Development Goals will be replaced by the sustainable development goals. They will be universally applicable and will cover a range of issues, including climate change, gender equality and human rights.

It is a sad fact that in many parts of the world people continue to suffer due to a lack of basic infrastructure, shelter and economic and social stability. As long as this situation endures it is the responsibility of every other first world nation, who can do so, to provide the funding and support so necessary for development.

Ireland's commitment to overseas development is long-standing and the Irish people are renowned for their generosity, a fact that we, as a nation, should be immensely proud. This awareness has often been laid at the feet of Ireland's history which was shaped so profoundly by the Famine. This point was reflected in a 2014 Eurobarometer survey which found that 68% of the Irish people spoken to, from a sample size of 1,037, thought that developed countries like ours should allocate more money to overseas aid.

This figure is up 12 percentage points on the same survey conducted last year, which suggests that while we as a nation slowly begin to recover and return to economic growth, we are also aware of our duty to those much less fortunate than ourselves. This says something truly wonderful about the Irish spirit. During austerity, Ireland's overseas aid budget fell, which is regrettable but unsurprising, given the colossal financial burden the country faced. However, while accepting this drop in funding, it is important to put Ireland's performance into context. Despite the hardship we faced and despite not meeting the 0.7% UN development target in 2012, according to the OECD, we did better than many European countries in protecting our aid budget during the financial crisis. No country will beat us up over not meeting that target because it was a substantial achievement to be able to continue with the level of funding that existed for aid to Third World countries.

An OECD review into Ireland's aid spending released in December 2014 stated that the country had punched above its weight on global development issues and had a talent for building networks and alliances to support development. While the OECD report highlights the ground lost which we must strive to make up, it also shows that Ireland's commitment to overseas development remains as firm as ever.

Ireland's track record on development aid speaks to the nation's awareness of its role and responsibilities as part of a global community based on the shared values of humanity. The OECD report describes how Ireland is considered by its international partners as a trusted colleague. It also notes how our overseas development aid is disseminated through structured targeting which ensures that these precious funds do not fall into corrupt hands and that they go directly to the people who so desperately need them.

As part of an Oireachtas delegation some years ago, I went to Ethiopia. I saw at first hand the significant work that is being done by Irish Aid and the then ambassador in Ethiopia, Ms Sheila Maguire, and the way the funds trickled down to the projects that needed it so badly. There are a number of projects that stand out in my mind - the GOAL street children's project and women in self-employment, WISE, both of which are based in Addis Ababa. It is having a major effect. The Irish NGOs and charities involved in the sector are doing excellent work and deserve to be commended. I take the opportunity to highlight their efforts today and to offer my fullest support.

The Government has allocated over €600 million for overseas development aid in 2015. In November last, the Department committed more than €4 million in funding in response to the Ebola outbreak in west Africa. Recently, the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock, announced an additional €3 million in funding for vaccines for children dying from preventable diseases, raising the Irish Aid overseas development budget by 20% on last year's spending. This is a fantastic achievement and a welcome development. We have yet to return to the level of contribution to overseas development aid that existed before the financial collapse, but we are on track. We must acknowledge that it is heading in the right direction. I would certainly echo the calls of Erik Solheim from the OECD for the Government to look at how it might match the figure in future. In light of the creation of the new sustainable development goals which will be set later this year, I urge the Government to strive to meet the targets as soon as finances allow us to.

I take the opportunity, as I did at the outset, to commend the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, on their tireless work on this issue. What they have achieved is remarkable.

I already commended a number of people who have been working in NGOs throughout Africa. In particular, one man, Alan Kerins, who was actually in school with me, and his project stand out in my mind. Indeed, so does Ronan Scully of Self Help Africa. Recently, I and the Minister of State attended an event in that regard. They need to be commended on the work they have carried out in Africa making life better for those who are struggling there.

As Seanad spokesperson for the Labour Party on Foreign Affairs and Trade, I am certainly proud of Ireland's commitment to overseas development, but I also realise that there remains more to be done. As mentioned, 2015 will be a pivotal year for international aid within the global community. Countries must come together to formulate new strategies and targets.

I am proud to say that Ireland is playing a central role, through the Minister of State, in the process to agree the sustainable development goals following our appointment, by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, as co-facilitator with Kenya of the intergovernmental negotiations. The appointment is testament to the strong reputation of our aid programme and Ireland's long-standing tradition of promoting human rights and participating in peacekeeping missions.

Given Ireland's past, we as a nation remain acutely aware of our responsibilities, and I sincerely hope we can reach the targets outlined by the OECD and the global community. We should be proud of our standing in the international community and just as proud of the incredible work done by our aid organisations, such as that of Mr. Kerins, Mr. Scully with Self Help Africa, and GOAL. It is my expectation that our overseas development aid programmes will continue to grow and to save and change lives around the world.

Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Norris has eight minutes.

David Norris (Independent)
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I will not need them because I am on my way to another meeting, but I felt it important, as my group's representative on the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, to come to the House and say a few words, and I do have some concerns.

First, I welcome the Minister of State. He is a decent, hardworking, intelligent, good-hearted man and a principled politician, and that is exactly what we need in this area.

I received background notes from the office of the Leader of the House, all of which were good and positive, and we take them as read. However, I am concerned that the background note states that the Irish Aid programme is guided by Ireland's international development policy, One World, One Future, which was published in 2013. It identifies three overarching goals of the aid programme: one, reduced hunger and increased resilience; two, sustainable development and inclusive economic growth; and three, better governance, human rights and accountability. It is on the third one that I will concentrate.

There should be clear monitoring - there is some - of the human rights conditions in each of the countries to which we give aid. There also should be monitoring of the levels of corruption. Every country has corruption to one degree or another. Even the Vatican is subject to this vagary of human nature, and this country is not immune from it. However, the distortions caused by corruption - particularly, for example, in the African continent - are quite staggering.

We should look, for example, at the policies on population. This is a matter of great concern to me. The population of the planet has trebled since I was born. That should cause anybody anxiety. I go every year to the release of the United Nations report on population, and it never mentions population. Never once in the years I have been going has it mentioned population. It talks about female genital mutilation, education and civilian casualties in times of war, and I throw myself on the ground, foaming at the mouth and asking, "What about population?". It is one of the most critical areas. Obviously, we cannot intervene. We cannot tell people what to do. There is a process of education on such matters as the accessibility of condoms and birth control. That is one aspect I would ask to be looked at.

The other matter is this. Immediately after I finish speaking here, I am off to a meeting with the Nigerian ambassador, where I will raise questions about the vicious anti-gay laws in Nigeria, the way they are prosecuted and the fact that these people slavishly accept British imperial legislation in the area. They enforce such legislation at the behest of evangelical American churches which are doing immense damage there. Recently, I received reports of the conditions for unfortunate people who are gay and who live in these circumstances. One phrase that stuck out was that living in Nigeria now, since the passage of the anti-gay Bill, is hell on earth by virtue of something over which one has no control. If that was merely a moral or cultural issue, then one could say, "Butt out, Europe and the West. We are not interested in your view. This is our culture," but they are fighting AIDS. They have a tremendous incidence of AIDS. The one way to spread AIDS is to clamp down on homosexual people and homosexual activity. This is guaranteed to lead to a time-bomb situation. The UN, the World Health Organization and various groups have tried to point this out but, for political reasons, President Goodluck Jonathan signed this legislation into being, and it is disastrous.

Why should we spend Irish taxpayers' money on fighting AIDS when the Nigerian Government is doing everything in its power to frustrate these programmes and, coincidently, to increase the incidence of AIDS in these countries?

I would say "Well done" in regard to much of the work. The failure to move towards the development aid target of 0.7% of GDP is dreadful, and I expect that in his heart the Minister of State agrees with me. It was shameful that we withdrew from it, because, being a percentage value, the overall amount shrank as the economy shrank. I know the Minister of State is trying to get back on track, but it was awful that we were derailed and, as a result, passed out by other European countries when we were among the leaders. I really regret this. The fact it was expressed as a percentage took care of the economic circumstances. It meant that as the financial situation here declined we would have contributed proportionately less. We should have been able to do so. We should have been able to stick at 0.7%, because this figure would have reflected the continuing financial situation in the country. Abandoning the target of 0.7% was abandoning a crucial principle.

Colm Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for the work he is doing in this area, which is extremely important. A total of €600 million will be spent in 2015. In recent years we have had very good value for money for this expenditure, and we will continue to do so because the money allocated is very carefully managed and delivers very good results. The key areas where Ireland makes a huge contribution are education, health care and the development of agriculture in the particular countries where we contribute and provide financial assistance.

I have visited a number of areas, including in Kenya, Chad and Gaza, and I am very concerned about how little progress has been made. I was in Chad in March 2008 and visited Goz Beïda and Am Bache. The rainy season there is in June, and between March and June 56,000 tonnes of food had to be brought in to feed 500,000 people for four months. The nearest port is 2,500 km away and the choice was to bring the food through Sudan to the east, Cameroon to the west or Libya to the north. This is the type of challenge faced by aid agencies and the UN in trying to meet demands, which sometimes we do not see. More than 500,000 people were in the refugee and internally displaced camps at that stage in 2008 and very little has changed in the area since then.

What frightens me is how little progress is being made in the control of arms and ammunition in the area, because if these were controlled many other issues would also be controlled. This is where the international community is falling down. We are not taking any action against the countries selling to the various interest groups. The arms trade throughout the world generates huge profits for a very small number of people, but a huge number of people suffer as a result. We should begin to examine this. Should we, at international level, clearly identify to countries that while we make a contribution to help countries to develop educational, health and agricultural systems, this progress is being restricted by other countries which contribute arms to these areas? When I was in Chad we filmed 17 hours of footage and condensed it to 15 minutes, which I use in schools. Everyone there carries a gun or a machine gun. When I was there more than 10,000 young people under 18 carried machine guns. This creates restrictions and causes problems for aid agencies. When I was there, 85 four-wheel-drive vehicles had been confiscated from aid agencies by armed rebels. The aid agencies must work to ensure they do not get into conflict.

The enormous contribution of Irish aid workers clearly stands out. The contribution of the Irish Army is also interesting. A report to the European Parliament stated that the Irish troops contributed more in Chad in six months than the French Army, with no disrespect to it, had contributed over the previous 20 years. The Irish Army's approach was to get people working together as opposed to a confrontational approach.

At all times we must keep in mind that when we give support to the various aid agencies and groups we should ensure the moneys are properly spent and that we get value for money. It is also important that we consider any structures which are already in place. Rather than developing new structures and providing funding for new agencies to go to an area, we should try to work with existing structures. The reason I have information about Kenya - I must be careful when I speak about the country, as other Members of the Oireachtas have got into difficulty on the issue - is that a member of my family works there. She is working in a school with only 18 teachers for 1,340 students, which means a pupil-teacher ratio of 1:70. To place a teacher there for an entire year would cost only €1,200. I have suggested that companies should come on board and, rather than giving money to an aid agency, sponsor a teacher, a nurse or someone who can develop agriculture in an area, so there would be a direct link to the money. We should begin to develop this.

I thank the Minister of State for the work he is doing, and long may it continue. I also thank all of the aid agencies and the officials at the Department for the wonderful work they do.

Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House, and I welcome this timely debate on overseas development aid in this European Year of Development. Irish Aid, which has long been a central pillar of our foreign policy, retains wide cross-party support. As a post-colonial State which has faced serious food security issues, an Gorta Mór, poverty and underdevelopment, we are uniquely placed in Western Europe to provide an overseas aid programme based on solidarity.

Sinn Féin welcomes the fact that overseas development aid funding was not cut in the budget for 2015 as it had been in previous years. As many other Senators have mentioned, the target expenditure of 0.7% of GNP on overseas development assistance by 2015 will not be reached. It has been stated that the commitment still remains, but no roadmap or timeframe has been produced to show how and when the figure will be reached. In the interest of accountability and transparency, will the Department outline how and when it intends to reach the target?

The recent OECD Development Assistance Committee peer review of Ireland's overseas development aid singled out Ireland for its efforts on tackling hunger and food insecurity, and overall the review was positive. It is clear that Irish Aid continues to be one of the best aid programmes in the world. I pass on my congratulations and gratitude to all those who work in the programme, and to Irish NGO workers, who are fantastic ambassadors for the country.

However, Sinn Féin is concerned about an increased focus on multilateral assistance over bilateral assistance, a blurring of aid and trade and the Government's commitment to its whole-of-government approach to overseas development aid, ODA. The bilateral element of our ODA is a cornerstone of Irish Aid and our partner countries like to work with Ireland because of our fair and critical partner approach. The latest budget made a €10.05 million cut to bilateral assistance spending and an increase of €8.85 million to multilateral assistance spending. We must work with like-minded donor countries to improve aid and develop accountability and transparency. We must ensure that there are better donor-recipient relationships. Many countries share this goal with us, but others do not and many continue to use tied aid and export military products.

Further emphasis on multilateral spending has the potential to reduce accountability and transparency. For example, trade has fallen under the remit of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In some regards, we are concerned by the possible influence this could have on ODA. Everyone agrees that increased trade is important for development, but it must be fair and mutually beneficial. Ireland should not use its aid programme to secure trade deals that may be seen to be overly favourable to Irish firms instead of doing what is best for the countries involved.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Just for the record, it is important that I correct that assertion utterly. I am happy to address it in my reply and I am aware that the Senator only has five minutes, but we do not tie our aid. We have an Africa strategy as well as the Africa Ireland Economic Forum. I would be happy to address the Senator's points but, for the record, we do not use our Irish Aid budget for trade promotion.

Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein)
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I am raising general concerns as opposed to making accusations, but I thank the Minister of State for touching on the issue and I look forward to his response once the other Senators have spoken.

Although Ireland is renowned for tackling hunger, perhaps we are not seen to be doing enough to tackle climate change, which is the leading cause of food insecurity. The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015, which will be laid before the Dáil next week, is not far-reaching enough and fails to address some of the key issues, given the dangers of climate change. For example, it fails to set binding emission reduction targets, ensures that the body tasked with giving advice to the Government on climate change matters will not be independent and does not contain provisions on climate justice. It runs counter to some of our ODA efforts and shows up a number of issues in the whole-of-government approach to development aid. I call on the Minister of State to ensure that policy coherence in development aid becomes a Government priority.

I look forward to the Minister of State's response and congratulate him on his work that he, his Department and the Irish workers and NGOs have done in this regard.

Caít Keane (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this important subject and congratulate the Minister of State on the work he has done since his appointment. Even in difficult times, we have not cut our budget, which shows where our priorities lie. When Ireland was suffering, we liked receiving external help. Under budget 2015, there has been no reduction in the overall level of ODA. More than €600 million was allocated for ODA and we have been recognised for the successful stabilisation of our development budget in the past three years after severe cuts in the face of serious economic difficulties. Maintaining the budget by providing €601 million to Ireland's aid programme will be seen as a significant contribution. We would love to do more. In light of the last budget, there has been some improvement in our country, but we have never been found lacking when it comes to ODA. The European Commission's January Eurobarometer report found that support for increasing aid had grown in Ireland by 12% since 2013, which is to be commended and is encouraging.

As has been mentioned, countries in Africa are suffering significantly from drought and climate change. I am sure that the Minister of State is well aware of the report by Maynooth University's department of geography, entitled Feeling the Heat: How Climate Change is Driving Extreme Weather in the Developing World. I commend the Government. People have been discussing a climate change Bill for a long time, but it is only now coming to fruition. The Oireachtas committee of which I am a member has made a good recommendation on the report. I do not know whether the Minister of State will also make a submission, but people in the developing world are struggling to survive in the face of drought and storms. Families can no longer plan for the hungry season because it is changing. Many reports, particularly the one by Maynooth, have called this a silent emergency. It is up to us as legislators to break the silence. It is not a problem that we can solve on our own, but we must do our bit and ensure that the emergency can be tackled globally. By making the emergency a loud one, we can tackle the injustice of climate change together.

We are always referring to sustainable development and planning. As mentioned in the Oireachtas environment committee's report, sustainable development is an issue for transport, agriculture and so on. Our country has been discussing clean energy. Loud voices have been raised against it. I noted a report that the reporter, Mr. Jody Corcoran, wrote in January. He visited Mount Lucas in County Offaly to evaluate its wind turbines, which were 150 m tall. He stated that he could not hear a sound from the wind farm and that there was more noise from the cars on the motorway. I am raising this point in the context of climate change and sustainable energy. He claimed that wind turbines were "rather like a team of elegant ladies dancing at dusk".

We should think of people in Third World countries. My sister has just returned from providing voluntary services overseas. She is a secondary school teacher who volunteered overseas for a year. With Mr. Dermot Divilly, my brother set up Support Africa, an Irish-registered foundation, in 2006. It is working overseas. The Minister of State met my brother in Addis Ababa. I commend my sister and brother. Here I am as a legislator who I hope can do her bit from afar to support people in all developing countries. In Support Africa's case, 100% of the money it raises goes straight to the country. No money is taken out for administration. Every organisation must have administration funds and the Minister of State is always evaluating what percentage of every organisation's funds is spent on administration and what percentage goes to the country in question. This is an important subject.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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I thank all of the Senators for their contributions. I will start with ODA and percentage targets. As I understand it, the targets were set in 1973. Since then, there has not been a Government that has reached them. The highest point was reached in 2008 when we hit approximately 0.59%, or a monetary figure of €920.6 million. I regard this as an apolitical space because, throughout successive Governments, every political party and Independent in the Houses has acknowledged the need to ensure that, in the first instance, we recognise how official development assistance plays a key role in our foreign policy and impacts on the poorest countries. While there has been a 30% decrease in ODA since 2008 across a number of political mandates, there is a recognition that, in the past two years, we have tried to stabilise it.

We did stabilise it last year, and increased it. While a point was raised about a decrease in some of the bilateral funding and an increase in multilateral funding, the fact remains that, through our multilateral arrangements and relationships with the World Food Programme or the UN agencies, it still continues to create the necessary impact. The tyres are kicked on this policy by virtue of the DAC or the OECD report which gave us a clean bill of health.

There is one further point on the ODA as a percentage of GNP figures. Ireland is ranked ninth of OECD countries and seventh of EU countries. The countries ahead of us in the OECD list of countries include Norway. Its figure is 1.07. Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark and the UK are ahead of us in the sense that they have reached or surpassed the target. However, we are ninth in the rankings. The Netherlands, Finland and Switzerland are ahead of us but have not have reached the target and they are comparatively rich countries. We are, therefore, by any objective standard, doing quite well in terms of seeking to reach the target. However, we have not taken our eye off the ball. It has to be remembered that the target was set and successive Ministers, across the political spectrum, have reinforced the commitment to it. It is in the programme for Government, but what we have sought to do in the programme for Government is increase our level of assistance in monetary terms. However, we are not going to hit the 0.7% target. This is clear. Furthermore, the next Government, whatever its make-up in terms of party politics, will also not hit the 0.7% target. However, we must continue to try to stabilise the monetary element of it and increase it if we can. It would be necessary to pay out more than €1 billion in the current year if we were to hit the 0.7% target. This is not attainable given other demands on education and health services and so on.

On compliance and governance issues in respect of how we dispense the funding, the Ugandan experience was mentioned. We met the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade last week as part of the Estimates process. I had outlined previously at that committee that we are very satisfied that all of the checks and balances are in place on how our funding is dispersed. Although we have a bilateral relationship with Uganda, there has been a reduction in the amount of funding we have given to it. We are currently reviewing the programme. Since that event took place, we have recovered the money on behalf of the taxpayer and very clear checks and balances have been put in place.

We do not tie our aid, as others country do, to the purchase of Irish goods and services. We deliberately do not do this. When disbursing aid through, for instance, our NGOs, Irish Aid or the UN for stocks, we do not stipulate that particular Irish stocks must be bought. We require transparency and a chain of events to ensure we know where the money is going. We are satisfied with this approach. If we start tying aid to particular actions, we are leaving ourselves open to becoming a hostage to fortune. The reason it has worked so well for us historically, since Garrett FitzGerald first instigated an Irish aid programme, is because we have had an honesty in our approach to people. We have never come with an agenda.

At the same time, this does not mean that we cannot look at Africa as a continent with 1.1 billion people with which we can trade. We trade with countries such as Japan, where we have an ambassador and Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland representatives. We have bilateral relationships with eight partner countries in Africa. If we take one of the eight partner countries, for instance, Sierra Leone, Kenya or Nigeria, there is no reason we cannot, through ambassadorial or bilateral relationships, seek to trade with these countries as well. We have an Africa strategy. Every year we have an Ireland-Africa economic forum. I will dig out the statistics which I wrote down earlier. We have increased trade. In 2010, our trade on an Ireland-Africa basis was approximately €1.7 billion. In 2013, it went up to €2.3 billion. I may be plucking this figure from the air, but by 2020 there is the potential for €20 billion in trade, if I am not mistaken. It is €24 billion. We are absolutely right to examine and set this as a target.

There is not a Senator in this House who has not had some experience of a humanitarian visit to various countries. When at these refugee camps or when visiting particular areas where Irish Aid is involved, one might see a mother who may have travelled 200 miles with her children from south Sudan to Gambella. Looking at the children, one cannot but wonder how we can help to educate these children in order that they can become entrepreneurs and have access to health and educational services similar to ours. How can they become entrepreneurs? One way of looking at this is to share what we do best, through our innovation systems, with that growing number of people. The figure is more than 1.1 billion. There has been an increase of 2 million year on year in the number of people living in Ethiopia. It is about trading services as well as assisting in capacity building. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Senator Higgins mentioned the Alan Kerins project. Irish people are delivering excellent people on the ground through the Alan Kerins project and through GOAL, Gorta, Self Help Africa and Concern. We will continue to be committed to the development agenda and the humanitarian agenda. However, we must also focus on how we can trade more efficiently, that is, through mutually beneficial trade in a non-tied way in order that we can trade with what is a sleeping giant of a continent. We are lucky that we do not look at it from a homogenous point of view. We do not say that Africa is one continent with one people. We recognise the fact that Sierra Leone is different from South Africa which is different from Nigeria. We are lucky that we have relationships with all three of these countries and we must continue to look for trading opportunities with them.

I take the point Senator Burke made on humanitarian crises. To be fair to us, if one takes the humanitarian crisis in Syria - I have outlined some of the figures - or the Ebola crisis in west Africa as examples, we have been able, in a very reflexive way, to pivot towards these crises when they occurred by virtue of the fact that we have people on the ground. If one takes Gaza, for instance, which was mentioned, it is by virtue of the fact that we have a relationship through our office in Ramallah that we have been able to fund the humanitarian crises there. On Syria, much of the funding is divested through multilateral organisations because we do not have a bilateral relationship with it. A flexibility has been built into the Irish system by successive Governments to ensure Irish Aid is adequately funded in order that it can pivot its funding opportunities as the crises arise.

The issue of human rights was raised and I appreciate the points being made in respect of Nigeria, for instance. We have a bilateral relationship with Nigeria.

It would be easy for us to say we should not fund particular countries because of a human rights or governance record, or a lack thereof. Our view has always been that if we have a bilateral relationship we ensure the funding gets to those people who are most in need. The people who are most in need are sometimes not well served by their own governments, but at the same time they depend on us. The governance we have, the honesty we bring as a country to our relationships with various countries and our lack of a colonial history or baggage, by which I mean we have not gone out to colonise, allow us to influence human rights in a very subtle and discreet way, which we do over time. Ethiopia is one of our long-standing key partner countries, and Addis Ababa is the diplomatic capital of Africa. A recent visit by President Michael D. Higgins, who addressed the African Union, served as an opportunity to impart messages to the African Union that for the relationships to be equal they must be such that human rights becomes a key function or pillar in any African nation's governance. We do not do it with a sledgehammer but through subtle diplomacy, and this has allowed us to make progress over time.

The issue of climate change has been raised as have the sustainable development goals. Recently I visited Africa. If one looks at the work Irish Aid is doing there, through key partners on the ground and specifically at the work being done to assist farmers in Tigre, which was the scene of the famous famine of the early to mid-1980s, one can see how agricultural systems have come on greatly. One of the programmes in the area is on potato generation. This could all be compromised by climate change if there is a 2°C rise in temperatures globally. We take very seriously our role in negotiating the sustainable development goals in co-facilitation with Kenya. The reason we do so is because we are mindful of the relationships we have in the countries which are most affected by climate change. We know our people who work with people there, which brings an honesty, openness and transparency to how we will approach the negotiations. We are not weighed down with the baggage of having been a coloniser. We know exactly what it is like in the first instance and we are able to speak for those countries which will need Ireland to be at their back and be an honest broker in these associations throughout 2015.

Rather than specifically addressing every Member I have addressed general points. I hope I have adequately addressed the point on the percentage of GNP targeting and the issues of compliance and transparency with regard to Uganda and tied aid. I ask Senator O'Reilly to forgive me for interrupting her speech. I am conscious that Senators must leave to attend other meetings, and I wanted to ensure I was able to clarify the point in case she needed to leave, but she is still here. I hope I have generally spoken to the issue of climate change and the sustainable development goals. It is not for me to speak specifically to the points on population control in specific countries. We are very strong on gender equality and extremely strong on the issue of maternal health and nutrition as it is one of our priorities. One can see this in action in countries such as Sierra Leone and Ethiopia in particular. We are also extremely strong on issues such as fistula which, I am shocked to stay, still exists. Ethiopia has set targets for itself. The idea that in instances a pregnant woman cannot get to a centre in enough time to be able to give birth in a safe environment is, to my mind, shocking. We are working very hard with our partners to try to tackle these issues.

Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)
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I wish to make one small point about Syrian refugees.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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With regard to Syria specifically, we have allocated €29 million since 2011 to the crisis there. In geopolitical terms it is a major challenge. We all acknowledge this and it is self-evident. Through our investments we have ensured we are working with the Irish NGOs on the ground, the Red Cross in particular, and the United Nations through multilateral arrangements. We are now seeing a situation arise in Lebanon where certain tensions are beginning to emerge between Lebanese people and the Syrian refugees there. We are monitoring it and I know for a fact we will retain a focus on Syria. We continue to monitor it proactively.