Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 452: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the grants and other financial assistance awarded by his Department in each of the past three years to men's organisations and groups or organisations providing services primarily for men, including the names of the organisations or groups; the amounts awarded; and the purposes for which they were awarded. [10675/05]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 453: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the grants and other financial assistance awarded by his Department in each of the past three years to women's organisations and groups or organisations providing services primarily for women, including the names of the organisations or groups; the amounts awarded; and the purposes for which they were awarded. [10676/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 452 and 453 together.

For the period in question, the Government's development co-operation programme, Development Co-operation Ireland, provided funding for two projects that provide services primarily for men, and boys. Details of these projects are included in Annex A.

As part of its overall commitment to poverty reduction and sustainable development, Development Co-operation Ireland, DCI, has prioritised the issue of gender equality as an integral part of the fight against poverty. In this regard, two complementary strategies are implemented: mainstreaming gender equality through all policies and programmes, and funding specialised interventions that support and contribute to women's empowerment.

On support through multilateral agencies, the Department has made voluntary contributions in the last three years from the development co-operation budget to two UN agencies dealing with women's issues. These are the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, which works in developing countries to save the lives of women and promotes human rights through better reproductive health care, and UNIFEM, which is the United Nations Development Fund For Women. Ireland contributed €2,539,000 in 2003 to UNFPA's core resources. This level of contribution was maintained in 2004 and the contribution increased to €2,920,000 this year. Some €550,000 was contributed to UNIFEM in 2003. This increased to €600,000 in 2004 and to €690,000 for 2005.

Details of relevant bilateral contributions in DCI's seven programme countries — Ethiopia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania, Timor Leste, Uganda and Zambia — and in South Africa are set out in Annex B.

Included in Annex C is a list of the support for the period 2002 to 2004 provided by DCI to NGOs working throughout the developing world, the Balkans and Commonwealth of Independent States, which are involved in projects specifically targeting women. On support to Irish-based development education organizations, Annex D outlines DCI's support to Irish women's organisations which aim to build an awareness and understanding of development issues within Ireland.

The Irish abroad unit manages financial support for organisations in the voluntary sector engaged in the delivery of advice and information services to our emigrant community, particularly to vulnerable and marginalised Irish people living abroad. Funding in 2005 has reached the unprecedented sum of €8.27 million, an increase of 63% on 2004.

The organisations supported are engaged in a wide range of services. Areas of activity include services directed to older emigrants, the homeless, Travellers, prisoners abroad and undocumented Irish people in the United States. Only one of the recipient organisations — the London Irish Women's Centre — is focused exclusively on services for women. Otherwise, the services that are supported under this heading can be of relevance to men and women, and are accessed by both. In 2002, the London Irish Women's Centre received €39,000 in Government funding, which rose to €47,044 in 2003 and €104,760 in 2004.

The Communicating Europe Initiative, CEI, which is administered by the EU division of the Department of Foreign Affairs, seeks to promote greater public awareness of the European Union. As part of its activities, it has provided grant funding to a range of groups to develop information initiatives about the EU and its impact on the lives of citizens. Details of funding awarded to women's organisations under the CEI are set out at Annex E.

ANNEX D

Material on development education grants

The Development Education Grants Scheme in Development Co-operation Ireland provided the following support for women's organisations in the three years to 12 April 2005:

Banúlacht, Dublin

One year programme. Purpose: Courses, events and newsletter on mainstreaming development issues into gender work in Ireland.

2003: €75,900

Contributions to three-year multi-annual programme. Purpose: Developing the Capacity of the Community Education Sector to Engage with Critical Debate on Gender Mainstreaming in the context of Ireland's Development Co-operation Policy and International commitments.

2004: €90,000

2005: €93,000

Shanty Education and Training Project, An Cosán, Dublin

Three year multi-annual programme (granted in 2002). Purpose: Delivering Development Education in women's education in Tallaght west and surrounding areas.

2003: €48,500

2004: €51,000

Women's Education, Research and Resource Centre (WERRC), University College Dublin

One year research project. Purpose: Transforming Curriculum: Gender, Development and Globalisation. To develop, incorporate and pilot a development education perspective within the WERRC Community Outreach Access Programme

2003: €10,000

One year research project. Purpose: Transforming Curriculum: Gender, Development and Globalisation. Drawing on the learning from phase I the project aims to incorporate and pilot a development education perspective within the WERRC Community Outreach Access Programme and relevant Banúlacht programmes.

2004: €20,000