Overseas Aid Budget: Have you ever broken a promise?

In 2000, Ireland promised the world’s poorest people that we would spend 70 cent out of every €100 on overseas aid by 2015 (0.7% of national income).

In 2001, we were spending just 38 cent out of every €100 on overseas aid (0.38%). What are we spending in 2015? Exactly the same.

The government is continually breaking our promise to the world’s poorest people.

With 8 out of 10 Irish people in favour of Ireland keeping its promise, our government is clearly out of step with what our citizens want.

What you can do:

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which helped to lift more than one billion people out of extreme poverty, expire this year and are being replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of goals, targets and indicators that UN member states, including Ireland, will be expected to use to frame their agendas and political policies over the next 15 years.

The SDGs like the MDGs will need to be financed if they are to be successful. Aid, tax collected in developing countries, tax reforms and a crackdown on corruption and illicit financial flows will be needed to finance these goals.

As we have seen with the refugee crisis in recent weeks, it is imperative to not only address the symptoms but also the underlying causes of poverty and inequality, if we are to have any long term impact. Political will and determination is what is required to make this a reality. Before Budget 2016, it is vital that we put pressure on the Irish Government to set out a credible plan for meeting our aid promise.

For more information: Read Trócaire’s submission on Ireland’s budget.