Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s new policy for international development, A Better World, was published in February. A Better World reaffirms the Government’s commitment, as outlined in Global Ireland 2025, to expand Ireland's official development assistance and make progress on delivering the United Nations target of allocating 0.7 percent of Gross National Income (GNI) for official development assistance by 2030.

A Better World provides the framework for this expansion. Based on current projections for economic growth, which may change as circumstances evolve, achieving the 0.7% target by 2030 would mean a tripling of the current allocations to ODA, and would require sustained, substantial managed annual increments given that the point of departure is 0.3% of GNI this year. Difficult choices will be required between competing priorities and ongoing careful planning and consultation with other Government Departments and stakeholders will be needed if this level of ambition is to be realised.

Good progress is being made with allocations to official development assistance increased by 32% since 2014. Budget 2019 saw the highest increase in funding available in over a decade, with Irish official development assistance in 2019 to reach almost €817 million, an increase of approximately €110 million and a 16% increase on the allocation announced in budget 2018.

The table sets out indicative allocations to ODA, based on current economic growth forecasts, which show a possible phased path to reaching the 0.7% target by 2030. Allocations will be decided annually as part of the normal budgetary process.