Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 127: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the key projections of his strategy to meet the millennium development goals and the measurable targets he uses to evaluate progress; and the performance to date in respect of those targets. [9827/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which represent a measurable framework for development up to the year 2015, are at the heart of Ireland's development cooperation programme as set out in the 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid. They inform both our bilateral work in Programme Countries and our support for and dialogue with multilateral development bodies.

Irish Aid's focus on reducing poverty and supporting the provision of basic services to the poorest people is wholly consistent with the attainment of the MDGs. By delivering on the commitment to reach the 0.7% UN target for development funding by 2012, Ireland is also perceived as being at the forefront of international efforts to reach the Goals.

We continue to focus over 80% of our bilateral country assistance on sub-Saharan Africa where needs are greatest. The overarching objectives of the aid programme are poverty reduction and sustainable development. We address fundamental human needs such as food security, basic education, primary health care and safe water supplies, areas which are essential to achieving the MDGs. Irish Aid works closely with partner Governments and civil society in our Programme Countries to monitor progress in relation to the MDGs.

In addition to an overall target for poverty reduction, we work with other donors and partner Governments in sectors such as health and education to identify clear targets to be achieved. These targets, for instance, include the number of schools built, the number of girls in education and so forth. In such cases, a joint review is held annually and, where problems are identified, measures to address these are included in the following year's annual planning process.

The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, has assigned the task of monitoring implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The latest MDG progress report, issued in July 2007, gave us a snapshot of the progress achieved as we head towards the 2015 MDG target date, broken down by Goal and by region.

Overall, there has been good progress on some targets, with more intensive effort required on others. The indications are that, if current trends continue, we are on target to reach the MDG on poverty reduction for the world as a whole, while progress has also been made globally in relation to reducing child mortality and increasing school enrolment rates.

However sub-Saharan Africa unfortunately continues to lag behind other parts of the world. We are therefore very supportive of efforts to strengthen Africa's efforts to meet the Goals such as the MDG Africa Steering Group convened by the Secretary General last September. The Taoiseach has also indicated his support for a meeting at Heads of Government level in September 2008, with the aim of intensifying MDG efforts in the period leading up to 2015.