Call on Ahern to make aid promise 'credible'

Thirty-five Irish aid and development agencies have written to the Taoiseach calling for a substantial increase in aid spending this year and programmed increases thereafter to meet a UN target.

In a letter delivered to Bertie Ahern yesterday, the agencies call on the Government to "make credible" its commitment to meeting the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GNP for overseas aid.

With Mr Ahern due to address a major UN summit on the issue in September, the agencies want the Government to announce a multi-annual plan setting out how the target is to be reached.

"We've heard much in the media about the Government's intentions to reach the UN target. At present this rhetoric is simply not credible," said Hans Zomer, director of Dóchas, the umbrella body for the agencies.

"What we need is not just another date, but a solid plan backed by real money in the short term so that Ireland is once again in the small group of nations genuinely living up to their responsibilities to the world's poor."

Minister of State for Overseas Co-operation Conor Lenihan told The Irish Times this month he would shortly be sending proposals to Cabinet to meet the UN target by 2012.

A previous Government commitment made personally by the Taoiseach to reach the target in 2007 has already been scrapped.

According to Mr Zomer, based on present spending plans the Government will not achieve the 0.7 per cent target until 2028, 13 years beyond the date the international community has set to reach the Millennium Development Goals and 21 years beyond the Taoiseach's original promise.

Dóchas urged the Government to commit to a date significantly earlier than Mr Lenihan's proposed 2012 date.

"Through the Millennium Development Goals, the world's nations committed themselves to halving world poverty by 2015. Ireland has also signed up to this commitment.

"The world needs to at least double its overseas aid if we are to reach the Millennium Development Goals.

"We're already falling behind, and must act now. 2012 is too late to wait," he said.

Dóchas also expressed to the Taoiseach its concern over the relocation of the Government's development co-operation division to Limerick, and expressed fears that this move would negatively impact on the quality of Ireland's aid programme.

It urged the Taoiseach to reverse his decision to relocate Development Co-operation Ireland as part of the Government's decentralisation programme.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD and MEP Gay Mitchell yesterday described the Government's failure to meet the 0.7 per cent target as "shameful".

He said that meeting the commitment should form part of any future programme for government.