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With budget day fast approaching, we explain why it is essential that Ireland keeps its promise and increases our overseas aid. But to help achieve that we need you to make your voice heard on this issue!
José Chavez protesting palm trees at his home in the Aguan Valley in Honduras. Photo: Gerardo Aguilar/Trócaire
We live in a deeply unequal world. While some countries have massive wealth, millions of people across the globe face a daily reality of extreme poverty, hunger, and conflict.
Crucially though, a global system exists where wealthy countries like Ireland provide funding to help tackle these challenges of global poverty and inequality. This overseas aid funding is channelled in a number of ways, including through organisations like Trócaire.
Over the past three years, during the devastating Covid pandemic, decades of progress towards ending poverty and hunger have been rapidly reversed.
Poverty rates in poor countries surged between 2020 and 2023 with an additional 165 million people falling into poverty according to UN figures.
The horrific war in Ukraine has had knock on effects contributing to widespread hunger in many places across the world. There’s a widening gap between rapidly increasing humanitarian needs and the urgent global funding needed.
This is leaving millions of people without assistance or protection. 258 million people in 58 countries are facing hunger and famine as a result of conflict, climate and rising food prices. That stark number means that 65 million additional people are food insecure – 34% more than in 2022.
The furthest behind are being affected the most severely by the failure of wealthy countries to fulfil their promises on overseas aid.
In the last twelve months we have seen an increase in extreme weather events related to climate breakdown, including drought in the horn of Africa, flooding in Pakistan and cyclones in Malawi. The months of July and August this Summer were the hottest ever on record.
It is deeply unjust that those who have contributed least to climate change are suffering the worst impacts, and people desperately need assistance to cope with the impacts of a climate that is breaking down.
Global solidarity is needed now more than ever.
Two women meet on small sand dunes, roaring winds battering them with sand. Yet the sand should not be here. Desertification is consuming parts of Southern Ethiopia. Photo: Barnaby Jaco Skinner.
In the face of all of these crises, Overseas Aid is essential, and it is making a real impact. It has helped to save millions of lives and to reduce extreme poverty around the world. Because of Overseas Aid, more children are in school than ever before, and less women are dying in childbirth. Without Overseas Aid, many of the problems in our world would be much worse – especially for those impacted by crises.
As well as generous donations from the public, Trócaire receives funding from the Irish government’s overseas aid budget. This enables us to support people affected by humanitarian crises, and to work alongside communities in tackling gender inequality and poverty through long-term development. This funding also helps us to defend and protect people in countries where activists and environmental defenders are being attacked and murdered for standing up for their communities.
Because Trócaire works in partnership with community-based groups, local people remain the driving force for change. This helps to ensure that Overseas Aid does not impose solutions on communities but instead empowers local people and builds their resilience.
Aymana Kole is a mother, wife, and sole income provider for her family of six in Gurenarama Kebele, South Omo, Ethiopia. Aymana received three goats and business skills training provided by Trócaire’s local partner, Agri-Service Ethiopia. Photo: Barnaby Jaco Skinner/Trócaire.
One of the biggest challenges facing Overseas Aid is financial commitment. The wealthiest countries of the world, including Ireland, each agreed to spend at least 0.7% of their annual Gross National Income on Overseas Aid. This promise amounts to spending just 70c for every €100 on aid.
Unfortunately, very few countries, including Ireland, have met this goal. In fact, in 2022, Ireland spent roughly only 40c for every €100 on Overseas Aid.
We should be proud of Ireland’s long history of providing assistance across the world. Yet this graph below shows that we’re far behind on reaching our commitment.
There was an increase in Irish Aid last year, which is hugely welcome, but to keep our promise by 2030 we’re going to need an increase in overseas aid every year towards 2030 – but this is very doable.
We must remember that we are a wealthy country, and that other countries have been able to meet the 0.7% target. For instance, Denmark has a similar population size as Ireland, but has been able to meet the 0.7% target. Ireland needs to show leadership, we need to keep our promise.
We saw a very welcome increase last year in overseas aid, but we need to keep increasing every year until 2030 to keep our promise. Source : Dóchas
On budget day, we are calling on the Irish Government and all Irish political representatives to reaffirm our commitment to our overseas aid promise of 0.7%, but this won’t be possible without your help!
We need to see the government increasing overseas aid on budget day, and get us back on track to meeting our target. Together with our Dóchas coalition, Trócaire is campaigning for a €305 million euro increase in overseas aid in Budget 2024.
It would be a huge help if you can support our campaign by taking action
If you are on Twitter/X, please share our 007-inspired movie poster for ‘The World Has Not Enough’ and tag Tánaiste Michael Martin. Our word is our Bond!
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