Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 186: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the breakdown by country of overseas aid donations made by the Government to developing countries in the past five years. [12323/06]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland assists over 30 of the poorest countries in Africa, via a wide array of partnerships through non-governmental organisation, NGOs, and UN agencies and through our own bilateral aid programme delivered via our missions in six priority countries, namely Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Lesotho. In addition, assistance is also provided to a number of countries in Asia such as Vietnam and Timor Leste, in Central and South America, the Middle East and Europe.

For example, in 2004 over €233 million was expended in Africa, on a wide range of developmental activities and humanitarian relief. This assistance was delivered directly through national, local and regional authorities, civil society and community groups. In addition, Ireland worked closely with, and funded, a number of key NGOs such as Christian Aid, Concern, GOAL, Self Help Development International, Trócaire and others in their development work. Emergency relief was delivered through UN agencies, NGOs and international humanitarian organisations such as the Red Cross family.

The detailed country-by-country breakdown of Ireland's official development assistance, ODA, is provided in the Irish Aid annual reports which have been placed in the Oireachtas Library. The annual reports also outline the projects and sectors which Ireland supports as well as the partner organisations through which a significant amount of assistance is delivered. I am arranging to have copies of the relevant reports delivered to the Deputy. The reports are also available on the Irish Aid website at www.irishaid.gov.ie. The specific breakdown for 2005 is not yet fully complete, but will be available when the 2005 annual report is published.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 187: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Eritrea has been in receipt of Irish overseas aid donations from the Government in the past five years. [12324/06]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland provided total funding assistance of over €8 million to Eritrea for the period 2001-05 inclusive. Eritrea is one of the poorest countries in the world, being placed 161st on the UN human development index, HDI, out of a total of 177 countries.

The funding was provided to Ireland's key NGO and UN partners working on the ground in Eritrea on a range of humanitarian and developmental projects. Funding was also provided through the multi-annual programme scheme, MAPS, which aims to provide more strategic and programmatic funding to NGO partners. Ireland funds the work of Concern and Self Help Development International, SHDI, in Eritrea in this regard. Other funding support was provided to UN agencies, including the World Food Programme, WFP, and UNICEF, working to provide humanitarian relief to vulnerable, food-insecure populations across Eritrea.

The Government is continuing to keep the humanitarian situation in Eritrea under close review in the context of the current drought which is affecting the Horn of Africa region and for which, to date, Ireland has provided assistance of €5 million.

With its EU partners, Ireland has sought to encourage Eritrea to engage with the international community on the peaceful resolution of its border disputes. Ireland remains concerned about the internal political situation and issues surrounding human rights in Eritrea. It has conveyed these concerns through diplomatic channels to the Eritrean authorities. Ireland provides no humanitarian or development funding directly to the Government of Eritrea.