Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the proportion of Irish aid to Ethiopia that is given on a Government basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13020/06]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland's total bilateral aid to Ethiopia in 2005 amounted to €35 million. It is expected that the total funding to Ethiopia in 2006 will be at approximately the same level. Ireland's support to Ethiopia is focused on addressing the basic needs of the rural poor. Ireland does not provide general or direct budget support to the federal Government of Ethiopia. Of the total budget for 2005, €5.3 million was delivered to sectoral programmes in the areas of health, education and transport. Working with the relevant ministries, Ireland earmarked support for the training of health workers and teachers and the improvement of rural roads.

Ireland also assisted two regional authorities, namely, Tigray in northern Ethiopia and the SNNPR, or southern nations nationalities and people's region, in the south. In Tigray, Ireland expended €6 million to assist the authorities to provide a full range of services to the people of this very poor region. In the southern nations region, Ireland provided support of €4.3 million to the regional authorities' programmes in education, health and HIV/AIDS.

A key component of Ireland's programme in Ethiopia is our support to the UN monitored social safety nets fund, which provides seven million of the poorest Ethiopians with cash or food in exchange for labour. This innovative fund, which was established with assistance and expertise from Ireland, is perceived as an invaluable instrument in preventing up to seven million people from facing starvation each year. In 2005, Irish non-governmental organisations working in Ethiopia received financial support of €5 million. These included Concern, GOAL, Self Help Development International and Trócaire. An additional €2 million was shared with more than 30 Ethiopian based non-governmental organisations to mitigate the effects of the HIV-AIDS pandemic. Ireland spent €4.5 million on initiatives promoting better governance in Ethiopia. Activities supported included promoting the voice of poor communities and facilitating government institutions to be more responsive to people's needs, including assistance for the Human Rights Commission and civic education. In 2006, the aid programme in Ethiopia will continue to focus on the rural poor with the emphasis on the areas of health, education, good governance, HIV-AIDS and the safety nets programme.