Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

835. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide reassurances that no development aid funds made available by Ireland to countries in Africa are being used to finance instruction in the technique of symphysiotomy or to fund the performance or promotion of this operation in those countries. [41940/14]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government’s aid programme, Irish Aid, is strongly focused on the fight against poverty and hunger in sub-Saharan Africa. Over 80% of Ireland’s bilateral development cooperation funding is provided to countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where maternal mortality figures remain the highest in the world.

Over 20% of our funding is targeted towards strengthening the national and local health strategies and health systems in our Key Partner Countries. Eight of Ireland’s nine Key Partner Countries are in Africa: Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. A key aim is to assist the health systems in these countries to reach international standards. This includes supporting improved maternal and reproductive health and replacing outdated and discredited procedures such as symphysiotomy with safer and more effective obstetric practices. Reproductive health remains a priority for the Irish Aid programme, and we will continue to work to ensure that preventable maternal mortality is reduced globally.