'Generous' Ireland gives record sum in overseas aid

IRELAND:IRELAND'S SPENDING on overseas aid rose to record levels last year, bucking a trend of declining international aid from wealthy countries.

Irish aid spending reached €869 million in 2007, an increase of 6.7 per cent on the previous year, according to figures released yesterday by the OECD's Development Assistance Committee. Only five other countries allocate a greater slice of their national wealth to aid.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the figures showed that Ireland was on still on track to reach spending 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP) by 2012, three years before the target date set by the UN.

However, while last year's figure of 0.54 per cent of GNP was ahead of the Government's interim target of 0.5 per cent, it was no higher than in 2006. As a result, large increases in aid spending will be needed in the coming years to reach the target, at a time when the public finances are under growing pressure.

The Government originally promised to meet the 0.7 per cent target in 2007 but failed to honour its commitment. The Taoiseach then told a UN summit Ireland would meet the target by 2012.

Yesterday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said Ireland's commitment to global development was stronger than ever. "The figures confirm that we are firmly on course to meet the UN target and Ireland is now sixth in the world for aid spending. This is something of which Irish people, with their renowned generosity and sense of caring, can be rightly proud."

Total official development assistance from the OECD development assistance committee members fell by 8.4 per cent in real terms in 2007 to €103.7 billion. The fall was mainly due to decreases in debt relief for countries such as Iraq and Nigeria.

Aid to sub-Saharan Africa, excluding debt relief, increased by 10 per cent, but the OECD said donors face a real challenge to meet their promises to double aid to Africa by 2010.

With aid spending by EU states down 5.8 per cent, the European Commission urged EU governments to "keep their promises".

The commission said the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were "seriously at risk" after global aid provided by the 22 biggest donors in the world went down for the second year in a row.

The goals were set by world leaders at a UN summit eight years ago which approved 15-year targets to help developing countries combat hunger and poverty, disease and illiteracy, and improve primary education, the environment and the role of women.

European Commission president José Manuel Barroso warned: "We cannot afford to reduce development aid while trying to achieve the MDGs. We need more money to cut extreme poverty by half, get every child a primary education and improve other conditions for people living in countries covered by the MDGs." The countries that have reached the UN target are Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg and The Netherlands.