Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power TD welcomes international endorsement of Government’s overseas aid programme
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Department of Foreign Affairs Press Release
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Minister of State for Overseas Development Peter Power TD welcomes international endorsement of Government’s overseas aid programme
Irish Aid is a "strong, cutting-edge" development programme which is well-focused on the world’s poorest people, a wide-ranging review by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has stated.
The Government’s overseas aid programme is "highly-regarded both nationally and internationally," the expert reviewers noted, citing Ireland’s generous funding, strong focus on poverty reduction and its commitment to working in partnership with donor countries.
Irish Aid is "a champion in making aid more effective," according to the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC), which carried out the review.
The OECD Peer Review of Ireland was launched today by Minister of State for Overseas Development, Peter Power TD at Government Buildings. Karen Jorgenson, Head of Division, Review and Evaluation Division, Development Cooperation Directorate, OECD attended the launch.
Minister Power said: "In this review, the OECD praises Ireland for our long and proud history of helping the world’s poorest people. I am proud today that, thanks to you, the Irish public, we continue to save thousands of lives each year.
This thorough review of Ireland’s aid programme by our peers in the international development community shows that Ireland is a world-leader in tackling hunger, poverty and HIV/AIDS in a way that is principled and sustainable.
Over the last six years, Ireland has spent €4 billion on overseas assistance and even after the reduction to the budget, we remain the sixth highest donor in the world in per capita terms. That is an extraordinary feat for a country of our size.
More than 80% of our funding goes to sub-Saharan Africa, where our innovative programmes and partnerships mean that millions more families have food to eat, schools for their children and access to life-saving drugs. These are real and tangible achievements of which the Irish people can be justly proud," he said.
The OECD describes Ireland as a generous donor, a genuine partner and a champion at making our aid work effectively. It also concluded that we lead the way in HIV/AIDS and leverage our strong international standing to lobby for gender equality and a fairer deal for developing countries. These principles reflect our values as a nation and will continue to define our aid programme."
Minister Power thanked the OECD and the reviewers for preparing the thorough, 100-page report and said their recommendations would provide useful direction for the aid programme.
Note to the editors:
Among the key achievements noted by the Development Assistance Committee are:
"Irish Aid’s concentration in a limited number of poor African countries is one of its main strengths." (P37) All but one of the top 20 recipients are classed as Least Developed Countries
"Percentage of gross bilateral spending to the poorest countries has been both high and remarkably constant over the years, reaching 89% in 2007 compared to an average of 56% for the DAC as a whole." (P14)
"Ireland leads the way in the EU in the proportion of ODA allocated to combating HIV/AIDS." (P25)
"Partner countries highly-appreciate IA for being a ‘genuine’ partner who respects country ownership." (P60)
"Ireland’s main characteristics as a donor, including flexibility, support for multilateralism, strong commitment to partnership principles and to reaching the poor have been recognised in previous peer reviews. These defining features continue to be reflected in Ireland’s development efforts and the Irish Aid programme is highly regarded both nationally and internationally." (P24)
Outlines the "major steps" Irish Aid has taken to focus on priority areas: established the Hunger Taskforce; Rapid Response Initiative; Volunteering and Information Centre; Stability Fund for Post-crisis Recovery." (P26/27)
"High levels of humanitarian aid spending reflect Ireland’s strong motivation to assist people suffering from natural and other disasters." (P39)
"In Uganda, Ireland stands out as a very good development cooperation partner. It is a respected donor, with a reputation built on the excellence of its staff as well as its genuine and effective partnerships." (P98)
"Irish Aid follows a rigorous process of internal checks and controls, including by the internal auditor within each embassy." (P60)
"Consistently aims to use and strengthen the partner country’s capacities for financial accountability and transparency." (P19)
"Promotes a ‘poverty and vulnerability’ approach that aims to address the causes as well as symptoms of crises." (P19)
The OECD commended Ireland as "an active advocate of gender equality" and cited its "intellectual leadership" as key in achieving "substantial gender equality outcomes". (P40)
"A strong advocate of the full untying of aid within the EU." (P25)
The OECD notes that in the 2008 Commitment to Development Index for Africa, Ireland ranked second out of 21 countries for its overall performance in development aid.
In 2008, Ireland’s overseas aid budget was €918 million, a 90% increase over 2003 in real terms.
For further information, please contact Fionnuala Quinlan, Press Officer, Irish Aid on 087-9099975
Ends+++
7 May 2009
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