Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by Heads of Government at the Millennium Summit in 2000 provide the framework for international development up to 2015. They involve a series of ambitious and far-reaching commitments, together with a set of specific targets against which to measure progress in the reduction of global poverty. Progress on the Goals will be reviewed at a Summit Meeting at the United Nations in New York in September, where Ireland and our EU partners will work to ensure that the international community maintains its commitments in the face of increased global challenges and continuing international economic difficulty.

The UN Secretary General last month published a report on progress achieved on each of the eight Millennium Development Goals. The report notes that significant progress has been made since 2000 in combating extreme poverty and hunger in some regions, in improving levels of enrolment in schools and in child health. There has also been progress in expanding access to clean water and access to HIV treatment and in controlling malaria and tuberculosis.

Despite these achievements, however, it is clear that overall progress on the Goals has been too slow if there is to be a credible prospect of reaching the targets established for 2015. In sub-Saharan Africa, which is the premier focus of Ireland's aid programme, extreme poverty and hunger has increased. Over one billion people worldwide are now suffering the effects of hunger. More than 70 million children remain out of school and progress on gender equality has been very slow. In addition, although recent studies have demonstrated that progress is possible in relation to maternal health, the reality is that 500,000 women continue to die each year from causes that are almost entirely preventable and treatable.

With just five years remaining until 2015, I believe that the attainment of the MDGs requires agreement on a practical, action-oriented development agenda, which is based on evidence. The reduction of global poverty requires a continuing commitment to the achievement of all of the MDGs. In preparation for the Summit in September, Ireland is prioritising a focus on global hunger and food insecurity, in recognition that slow progress on the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the first of the MDGs, is impeding progress across the other Goals. Ireland will also argue that priority be given to those regions and groups that are lagging behind, in particular those most vulnerable to extreme poverty and hunger in sub-Saharan Africa.

We are engaged in detailed discussions with our EU partners in order to finalise a strong EU position for the Summit, which will be approved by the June European Council. Nationally, we are also preparing with the US Administration for the organisation of an important Irish – US event during the Summit to promote a comprehensive international approach to the global hunger crisis. This will highlight the need to link agriculture, food security and nutrition programming in order to provide a realistic and sustainable solution to world hunger.

The provision of Official Development Assistance (ODA) is an essential element in the effort to achieve the MDGs. The Government remains firmly committed to achieving the target of spending 0.7% of GNP on ODA by 2015. Ireland is ahead of most of our EU partners in making progress towards achieving the target. The OECD confirmed last week that, in 2009, Ireland was the seventh most generous aid donor internationally in per capita terms.