Ireland's overseas aid grows fastest

IRELAND'S overseas aid is growing faster than in any other western country, according to the latest OECD report on development aid. However, overall aid from the developed countries has slumped to its lowest level in almost 50 years.

Irish aid grew by almost 30 per cent in 1995, whereas 15 of the 21 countries in the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) reduced their commitment to the developing world.

As a result, Ireland climbed five places in the league table of aid givers, compared to last year's report. Aid accounted for 0 29 per cent of Irish gross national product, marginally higher than the OECD average of 0.27 per scent.

Only four countries - Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden - reached the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GNP for development aid. Ireland now gives proportionately more than the UK, Japan, Portugal, Spain, New Zealand, Italy and the US.

Japan remains the largest donor in volume terms, while France and Germany have overtaken the US for the first time, despite reductions in their own aid programmes.

The report does not take account of current levels. In 1996 Irish aid rose to 0.31 per cent of GNP, or a total of £122 million. Despite the increases, the Government is off track in its stated aim to reach the UN target, partly because the GNP is so last growing as the economy booms.

A section on Ireland's donor performance expresses doubt as to whether the medium term aid target of 0.40 per cent of GNP can he reached by the end of this year.

The DAC report notes that all the rich G7 countries cut their development spending.

Total assistance from all 21 DAC members fell by 9 per cent in real terms. Africa accounts for about 40 per cent of aid, with Egypt the largest recipient, at £1.3 billion. However, the world's largest aid recipient is China, which was allocated almost £2 billion.

The report proposes that the various international bodies involved in development set specific targets to be achieved by the year 2015, including:

a reduction by one half in the proportion of people living in extreme poverty.

. universal primary education in all countries.

. a reduction by two thirds in mortality rates for under fives, and by three quarters in maternal mortality.

. access to reproductive health services for all of appropriate ages.

. a reversal in current trends in the loss of environmental resources.

In contrast to many pessimistic reviews of development aid performance, the report stresses the achievements of recent decades. These include an increase in life expectancy in the developing countries of more than 20 years; a doubling of the percentage of the population with access to clean water; and increases in adult literacy and food production.

However, the report acknowledges, these strides have not been uniform and in many countries the poor have been excluded from them.