Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Making aid more effective is crucial if we are to reduce poverty in the long term and achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. These goals set out the globally agreed targets and benchmarks for poverty reduction.

We know from experience that excessive fragmentation of aid leads to duplication and wastage. It places a heavy burden on the recipients of aid and undermines country ownership and leadership.

In all of our Programme Countries, Ireland is an active member of the donor community and is working with governments and other donors to promote the principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness of 2005. All donors and recipient governments have signed up to the Paris Declaration. The aim is to work more effectively together to achieve value for money and development results. In line with this, we actively help the authorities at national and local level to develop and implement a national development plan that will lead to the reduction of poverty and ensure the poor have better health and education services and will be better able to secure employment.

Overall, therefore, Ireland is committed to working in a more harmonised and coordinated aid environment. We work very closely, for instance, with other donors in adopting a coordinated response to the needs and priorities of the countries in question.

Likewise, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes are undertaken jointly with other donors and with partner governments. Particular attention is paid to progress in relation to reducing the number of people living below the poverty line and increasing access to basic health, education and water and sanitation. Moreover, all of our programmes incorporate a focus on specific results that can be measured.