Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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282. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which Ireland’s bilateral and multilateral aid programme continues to address hunger and starvation at various locations across the globe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34212/21]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has been a long-standing champion of global efforts to reduce hunger and starvation. The roots of hunger lie in poverty, deprivation and exclusion, exacerbated by conflict, climate change - and now COVID-19. The eradication of hunger and a particular focus on tackling undernutrition has been a cornerstone of Ireland’s development programme since its inception.

‘A Better World’, Ireland’s policy for international development, makes a clear commitment to reaching the furthest behind first, including through an emphasis on food systems. For example, we allocated €25 million this year to the World Food Programme, €8 million of which was targeted to the response in Syria.

Successive OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) peer reviews have commended Ireland’s development cooperation for its poverty focus and commitment to Least Developed Countries. The OECD DAC’s most recent review, published in May 2020, notes that Ireland 'walks the talk' in allocating ODA to least developed countries and fragile states, priority partners and sectors.  The ODI, a leading development think-tank, has also ranked Ireland as the most effective international donor in directing resources to those in extreme poverty. 

Ireland works with a variety of partners in order to reach those in greatest need around the world. Our work through the EU and United Nations give Ireland a significant global presence and footprint, including in fragile states and conflict-affected contexts. Our partnerships with Irish and other NGOs enable us to emphasize food and malnutrition in our programmes, and target assistance to those most at risk of hunger.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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283. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the Irish Aid programme continues to meet its targets globally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34213/21]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Irish Aid's objectives are outlined in A Better World, Ireland's international development policy. These reflect Ireland's strong commitment to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and its targets, which remain at the heart of our approach to international development.  The Government's annual report on official development assistance is a useful resource which details the impact of Irish Aid's investments in the prior year.  The most recent annual report is available on my Department's website at: 

Together with our partners, Ireland supports progress toward these goals and targets, and we are a well-respected donor. In 2020, Ireland's development programme was reviewed by its peers through the OECD Development Assistance Committee Peer Review mechanism. It found that Ireland is a strong development partner that 'walks the talk' on its poverty focus and on its commitment to least developed countries. 

That said, the pandemic has dramatically set back development gains across the world and many SDG targets are in jeopardy. In 2020, over 100 million people became "extremely poor". The pandemic also generated a global education crisis, especially for girls, and reversed hard-won gains in gender equality.  This will inform future programming choices. 

Globally, reversing these setbacks will take considerable investment and effort from all stakeholders. Recovering the gains that have been lost due to COVID-19 is an important focus of our bilateral, multilateral and Team Europe global response.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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284. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the Irish Aid programme, multilateral and bilateral, continues to target those for whom the aid was intended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34214/21]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland's Official Development Assistance (ODA), directed through multilateral and bilateral channels, is directed to countries and people who are in greatest need.

A Better World, Ireland's international development policy, re-emphasizes this approach throughout with an overarching principle to reach those that are furthest behind first, as well as achieving the core objective of reducing humanitarian need. 

Our ability to follow-through on these commitments in practice is evident in, for example, the high proportion of Irish Aid funding which targets least developed and low income countries. Where the average DAC member's bilateral allocation to these countries is just under one quarter, half of Irish ODA is bilateral aid to low income and least developed countries. 

Our commitment to, and ability to deliver on, a needs-based allocation of development assistance is also internationally recognised. In 2020, the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) highlighted Ireland as "an excellent humanitarian partner", with its funding models a "useful inspiration for other DAC donors".

Also last year, the respected international think-tank ODI assessed the characteristics of ODA expenditure in leading donors and found Ireland to be the most principled donor, noting specifically Ireland's needs-based approach. 

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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285. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of bilateral aid programmes currently being progressed by Irish Aid; the extent to which they continue to make a difference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34215/21]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Irish Aid currently has 11 bilateral programmes. There are nine in sub-Saharan African countries: Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia; with two further bilateral programmes in Vietnam and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).

A number of the Embassies in these countries support development work in countries of secondary accreditation as well, for example, from South Africa we support development work in Zimbabwe.

These programmes continue to make a difference in partner countries. Results and key lessons from our bilateral programmes are included in the Irish Aid annual report. Importantly, these programmes also make a valuable contribution to our multilateral development work, as they provide us with on-the-ground information about the challenges developing countries are facing and knowledge about possible solutions that can be supported at scale by the likes of the UN and the World Bank. 

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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286. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which Irish Aid continues to engage in projects providing drinking water to communities suffering from a lack of clean water; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34216/21]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Safe drinking water is essential in the fight against poverty, hunger, child deaths and gender inequality, and has a renewed importance in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Despite this, 844 million people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water.

Ireland recognises that ensuring affordable and sustainable access to clean water is a key public health and development issue. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development commits countries to combat water-borne diseases, and to significantly reduce the number of deaths and illness from water pollution and contamination.

Ireland’s efforts to ensure greater clean water access are delivered through different development partners. These include local and national Government agencies; Irish, international and local NGOs; and multilateral organisations.  Ireland will continue to emphasise the importance of clean water at key multilateral events, such as the upcoming Food Systems Summit. 

For example, Ireland supports community water and sanitation projects in Mozambique and Vietnam, is investing in solar panels for a sewage treatment plant in Gaza, and upgrading of sanitation in schools in Sierra Leone.  Ireland also supports the UN’s Global Environment Monitoring System, helping developing countries to accurately monitor water quality, working with University College Cork.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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287. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which Irish Aid continues to engage with communities across the globe that are deeply affected by a lack of basic health and hygiene requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34217/21]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Ireland recognises that access to health systems and basic sanitation remain out of reach for many of the world’s poorest communities, despite the progress that has been made in reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and fighting diseases including HIV and AIDS.

In Ireland’s international development policy, A Better World, we have committed to continue to support global ambitions towards ending the epidemics of AIDS, TB and malaria. Improving the quality and availability of health services with a strong focus on maternal and child health has been a long-standing emphasis of Ireland’s development cooperation.

Through the Health Service Executive Global Programme, Irish NGOs and projects funded by Irish Missions abroad, Ireland is working to address the barriers to access and quality of health services. People-centered, gender responsive and community-based responses  are prioritised. Ireland is also supporting a range of projects to build basic water and sanitation facilities at community level, through our bilateral programmes. 

In 2021, Ireland has allocated at least €100 million to global public health, which includes the COVID-19 response. Also included in this €100 million is funding of €15 million to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and €3 million to Gavi, the global vaccine alliance. This strong health response is especially important as health systems globally are under strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.