Ireland can report good progress when world leaders meet at the UN to discuss global poverty, writes Brian Cowen
TOMORROW, GOVERNMENT leaders from around the world will gather at the United Nations in New York to assess the progress made since 2000, when they pledged to halve world poverty by 2015. This is a hugely important date for many of the poorest people in the world. I look forward to attending the event and reporting on Ireland's significant contribution to global development efforts since 2000. I will also attend the launch of the report of the Hunger Task Force, which we established last year, to examine how Ireland can take a lead in the fight against global hunger and food insecurity.
The pledge to reduce and then eradicate extreme global poverty was and continues to be an enormous challenge. The Millennium Development Goals, which were agreed in 2000, provide us with a set of clear, measurable objectives against which to mark progress as we move towards 2015.
The meeting in New York marks the half-way point between the 2000 development goals pledge and the target date of 2015. Progress to date is uneven. Africa remains the continent with the most to do. It is a time to take stock, acknowledge the progress made, and be absolutely frank in relation to the challenges ahead.
I believe that this meeting must re-energise the commitment and efforts to reduce extreme poverty in the developing world.
Ireland has measured up well to our commitments on development and the development goals in terms of volume, quality and leadership. We have a good story to tell.
Firstly, a key benchmark is aid volume. In 2000, our overseas aid budget was a little over €250 million. In 2008, it is expected to reach about €900 million. This is an enormous increase and places Ireland as the sixth most generous donor in the world. This is a substantial achievement, as we move towards our commitment of meeting the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GNP, and of which the Irish people can be justly proud.
Critically, Ireland's aid focuses on the poorest people in the least-developed countries and the percentage of our aid volumes directed at least-developed countries is one of the highest in the world and widely admired as such.
Irish Aid, the Government's aid programme, is carefully balanced, delivering assistance through a number of channels. For example over €100 million a year is being spent to address the scourge of HIV/Aids; and €200 million goes through non-governmental aid agencies among which are Concern, Goal, Trócaire and others, including missionaries, reflecting the Government's appreciation of their work.
Irish Aid has been responsible, directly and indirectly, for building hundreds of schools and training thousands of teachers in Africa. We also support major governance programmes including assistance to parliaments, auditors general, elections and anti-corruption activities. State systems that are becoming more democratic, transparent and accountable are the lifeblood of successful aid programmes and we are actively supporting such work in our partner countries.
Secondly, quality of funding - not just quantity - is a prerequisite of a successful aid programme. Quality can, of course, be difficult to measure, especially in the demanding environments where Irish Aid and our partners work. Above all, quality is about making a lasting difference to the lives of the poorest. Our aid programme has been regularly and rigorously reviewed internationally, most importantly under the detailed Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Peer Review process. It enjoys a very high international reputation for quality which the Government is determined to maintain.
Thirdly, the values and principles which we espouse through our aid programme, as set out in the 2006 Government White Paper on Irish Aid, enable Ireland to play a leadership role internationally on development.
Ireland has provided international leadership through our very rapid scaling up of aid volumes; our focus on poverty; our work on HIV and Aids; the innovative partnerships with non-governmental organisations and missionaries; and our rapid response initiative for emergencies. Above all Irish Aid has demonstrated a real willingness to build partnerships on the ground. Irish Aid's work saves lives but also builds hope for the future.
The issue of aid and its effectiveness has rightly been the subject of robust public debate and legitimate inquiry as to its effectiveness. Aid does work. The evidence garnered from many years of experience on the ground, evaluation and lesson learning tells us that aid works when it is carefully planned, locally owned and delivered, and managed in an accountable and transparent way. Although much of the media reporting on Africa tends to focus on the negative, positive indications and stories are emerging that deserve greater attention and coverage. Africa is experiencing economic growth rates that are the fastest in a generation. More children are at school than ever before. Access to water and sanitation is increasing and governance is slowly but surely improving. The people are rightly demanding more and more from their leaders. The overall levels of extreme poverty are falling, but the rate of reduction needs to increase. A new and more confident generation of African women and men is emerging, eager to take the future into its own hands.
Certainly corruption remains a major problem in Africa, but it is being progressively exposed and is under attack. And Ireland, through its aid programme, is helping actively in all these areas. It will take time and perseverance. Let us not forget that a stable, secure and increasingly prosperous Africa is in our interest.
Next week I will have the opportunity to receive the report of the Government's hunger taskforce.
The taskforce was established last year to look at ways that Ireland can provide leadership and add value to efforts to address global hunger and food insecurity. It is simply unacceptable that well over 800 million people are hungry every day.
The memory of hunger and famine remains seared in our national memory. The reduction in hunger is a key objective of the Millennium Development Goals.
The taskforce report is being published at a time when the global food price crisis is having a devastating effect. I look forward to discussing the findings of the report with the members of the taskforce and with UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon who, I am delighted to say, wishes to be present at this important launch.
Referring to poverty in the world and the efforts to eradicate it, the UN secretary general has said: "We need to be smart; we need to be strategic; and we need to be swift." Our challenge is to make it happen, and the Irish people can be assured that Ireland is playing its part in this important work being undertaken by the world community.
• Brian Cowen is Taoiseach and a Fianna Fáil TD for Laois-Offaly