Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 21: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the action he proposes to take to implement the Accra Agenda for Action. [21836/09]

Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend the Accra High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in September 2008, where I was able to contribute to the EU Ministerial discussions on the Accra Agenda for Action.

The High Level Forum and the Accra Agenda for Action have been effective in drawing renewed attention to the importance of improving aid delivery and giving value for money, especially at a time of a world economic downturn.

The Accra Agenda for Action highlights three areas where further progress needs to be made by both partner countries and donors. These are: i) strengthening country ownership over development, ii) building more effective and inclusive partnerships and iii) delivering and accounting for better results on the ground.

In response, Irish Aid has developed a Plan of Action to implement commitments under the Accra Agenda for Action. The plan identifies actions Irish Aid will take to implement the Accra agenda. Many of the actions are already underway.

New guidelines on aid effectiveness and training are being rolled out for staff at HQ and field level. We have developed a results based management approach to country assistance programming. Irish Aid is working with other donors to strengthen partner countries' results frameworks and we are increasingly linking our contributions to development outcomes agreed with partner countries and the donor community.

Framework agreements with our multilateral partners, such as the UN system, allow for strengthened monitoring and evaluation with a strong focus on impact. Irish Aid is also working with Dóchas, the NGO umbrella organisation, on how to apply the aid effectiveness principles from the NGO perspective.

The OECD DAC Peer Review of Ireland, published last month, congratulated Ireland on the high level of commitment to aid effectiveness and for embedding aid effectiveness in Irish Aid's systems.

The Accra Action Plan will be monitored closely and updated annually during the business planning process. It will ensure we now build on this excellent international reputation and continue to improve the effectiveness of our aid.