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Overseas aid confirmed deadline is a positive step but not a new commitment

Trócaire have been calling for the target to be met by 2025 in order to be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Trócaire Executive Director, Éamonn Meehan said: “Trócaire welcomes the Taoiseach’s confirmation to spend 0.7% of GNI on overseas development.

“Ireland has made this commitment before. In 2000 the then government made plans to reach the United Nations target of allocating 0.7% by the end of 2007, but it reneged on its commitment. It is vital that this time we live up to our promise.

Timeline to meet obligations

“What we need to see from the Government now is a timetable to outline exactly how we are going to meet our international obligations.

“Trócaire is calling for concrete plans to ensure that the delivery of high quality aid continues simultaneously with the increase of aid.

“Furthermore, the Government should continue to work to protect the poverty focused definition of ODA, ensuring that Ireland’s ODA remains fully grant based, untied and focused on least developed countries.

“The quality of Ireland’s aid is internationally renowned for its strong poverty reduction focus and Ireland’s ODA budget is responsible for life-changing and life-saving interventions in some of the world’s most difficult environments.

“Increased resources in the upcoming Budget in October will be crucial as a platform for developing a strategy towards fully reaching the target by 2030. Ireland should provide an additional €136m in Budget 2019 and make a commitment to increase the aid budget over the next four years to 0.59 per cent of GNI as a staging post to reaching the UN target of 0.7% by 2025.

“This announcement of an ODA increase deadline is timely as deepening inequality, climate change and global conflict are contributing to the unprecedented level of humanitarian needs across the globe.

“Last year alone, Trócaire reached 2.8 million people – from Syrian refugees fleeing conflict to the drought and famine in east Africa.”

Read Trócaire’s Submission for Budget 2018

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