Oxfam Ireland
 
The Future of Ireland's development programme.
April 28th 2005

The Irish government are currently deciding the future of Ireland's aid programme to be contained it in a so-called 'White Paper'. In deciding the content of this 'White Paper' the government are holding a serious of public consultation meetings around the country.

We urge all those with an interest in Ireland's development aid programme to attend these meetings and speak your mind.

Background
The Government White Paper comes just after the government's decision in November 2004 to renege on the pledge, made by An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, to the world's poor that Ireland would meet it's UN committment to spend 0.7% of GNP on ODA by 2007. At current rates of expenditure (including planned increases this year and next) Ireland will not reach the 0.7% target till 2028.

As part of the White Paper process Oxfam is calling on the government to meet their commitment to spending 0.7% of GNP on overseas aid by increasing expenditure this year in line with meeting the target by the year 2008 (if the government will not meet it's committment of 2007). The government should put in place an agreed spending plan with interim targets for each year between now and the achievement of 0.7%.

Key Issues
Ireland has been praised internationally by concentrating it's programme on helping people living in poverty in the poorest countries and for ensuring that it does not require recipients to spend aid money on buying Irish goods or employing Irish people. Oxfam is calling on the Government to maintain the poverty focus of the Irish aid programme. It should do this by concentrating its aid money on the poorest countries, in particular Least Developed Countries and by spending the money on basic social services like health and education. It should keep our aid 100% untied.

Ireland's attempts to combat poverty in the developing world must not be undermined by other government policies which undermine livelihoods, prevent access to vital medicines contribute to conflict. The White Paper should recommend that the government achieve policy coherence by ensuring that it's other policies e.g. trade and agriculture do not undermine the fight against poverty. It should also recommend that the coherence unit within Development Cooperation Ireland is adequately staffed and resourced.

The times and locations of the governments public consultation meetings are:
Wednesday  13 April  - Limerick - Castetroy Park Hotel
Wednesday  27 April - Waterford - Dooley's Hotel
Tuesday  3 May  - Athlone - Radisson SAS Hotel
Wednesday  4 May  - Galway - Ardilaun House Hotel
Tuesday  10 May  - Cork - Metropole Hotel
Tuesday  17 May - Tralee - Brandon Hotel
Tuesday  24 May  - Dublin - The Helix