Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the development of the China development assistance committee study group, whose avowed aim is to provide a forum where central development issues might be discussed; the role which Ireland may play in this forum; the principles which guide, or the specific terms of reference upon which the DAC is structured; and the role he envisages Ireland to play in this forum. [7146/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The establishment of the China-Development Assistance Committee Study Group in 2009 was a joint initiative by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD and the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China, which itself is a joint initiative of the Chinese Government and the UN Development Programme. The OECD Development Assistance Committee is the key international development forum comprising the main aid donor Governments, including Ireland, and multilateral organisations such as the World Bank and the UN.

The purpose of the Study Group, which brings together representatives of donor Governments and Chinese officials and academics, is to share experiences and promote learning in relation to economic growth and poverty reduction. Its work is focused on China's own experience of growth and poverty reduction and its relevance for other developing countries, in particular in Africa. The Group is also examining China's increased economic cooperation in Africa, and its impact on poverty reduction.

In recent years China has become a major economic global player and has focused very significant trade, economic investment and development aid on African countries. China's engagement in Africa has the potential to contribute significantly to economic growth and to poverty reduction across the continent. We regard the Study Group as a valuable initiative in terms of bringing China into dialogue with other donor countries, sharing lessons and experience and discussing ways to ensure that development aid is delivered as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Ireland supports and participates in the work of the study group, as appropriate. In addition, in 2009, a delegation from the International Poverty Reduction Centre in China visited Ireland in order to meet with officials from Irish Aid, in the Department of Foreign Affairs, and to discuss the priorities and impact of the Governments aid programme, especially in our priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

In the year ahead, the Study Group will organise a series of international workshops on a series of development issues, including agriculture and food security, infrastructure, and the enabling environment for enterprise development. It will also produce a set of key recommendations for the attention of the Chinese authorities and the OECD Development Assistance Committee members, which will be presented and discussed at an important workshop, to be held in Beijing in early 2011.