Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 369: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding the redeveloping relationship with Lesotho following the decision in respect of the establishment of a full Irish Embassy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14759/06]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Lesotho has a special place in the history of Ireland's official development assistance. The Lesotho aid programme, established in 1975, was our first and for many years our largest development cooperation programme.

The upgrading of the mission in Lesotho to full ambassadorial level reflects both the significance of our present aid programme in that country and also a decision in principle to upgrade the missions in our programme countries in Africa. In this regard, four missions — Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia — will be upgraded to full ambassadorial level this year.

Lesotho is one of the world's poorest countries, ranked 149 on the UN Human Development Index, HDI. Half the population lives below the poverty line, less than $1 a day, and over 30% of the adult population are living with HIV-AIDS — one of the highest rates of infections in the world. Ireland's aid programme in Lesotho is primarily directed at rural communities located in the remote mountain districts where poverty is deepest, with a clear focus on health and education. Irish Aid also assists in the improvement of basic infrastructure in rural areas — roads, footbridges, water supplies and sanitation facilities.

Irish Aid's activities in Lesotho are set out in a country strategy paper, which is agreed with the Government of Lesotho every three years. The current country strategy covers the period 2005-07. Decisions on the future direction of the programme will be based on the findings of an evaluation of the current programme to be carried out during 2007.