Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 276: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the new development and initiatives planned for Uganda; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10542/08]

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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It is expected that Ireland will provide assistance of approximately €44 million to Uganda through its programme of bilateral assistance in 2008. In addition to funds provided directly through the programme, support is channelled indirectly through NGO partners, missionaries, UN agencies and civil society organisations. The overarching objective of the programme is the reduction of poverty. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide the framework around which donors, including Ireland, deliver assistance. The MDGs are a set of benchmarks agreed by the international community to measure development progress by 2015. The MDGs are reflected locally through the Government of Uganda's Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) with which Ireland's programme of development assistance is aligned.

Ireland's support to Uganda is governed by a Country Strategy Paper which is drawn up in consultation with Government, civil society partners and other donors. The current strategy covers the period 2007 to 2009. Support is provided for education, HIV/AIDS, and governance; as well as through a Poverty Action Fund (PAF) which channels funds to support key sectors such as water, sanitation and agriculture.

Ireland has contributed to the significant progress which Uganda has made in key development indicators in recent years. For instance, in education, the net enrolment rate at primary level has now reached approximately 92%, an increase from around 85% in 2002. In the area of HIV/AIDS, the prevalence rate has now stabilised at around 6.4%, down from approximately 15% in the early 1990s. In addition, by the end of 2007 over 106,000 people were accessing anti-retroviral treatment (ART), an increase of over 30% on the previous year. Ireland, in conjunction with other donors and with the people of Uganda, will continue to help build on the progress which has been achieved to date and which is making a sustainable impact on the lives of poor and marginalised communities.