The Irish programme for overseas aid needed to set ambitious challenges rather than continue to write blank cheques to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its affiliates, the Labour Party claimed yesterday.
Dublin West TD Joan Burton said the volume of money being spent on Irish aid was increasing dramatically on a year-by-year basis. However, she claimed there was a nervousness on the part of the Department of Foreign Affairs about developing more progressive programmes in line with the funds available.
Large volumes of aid spending were increasingly being committed to writing cheques to UN and multilateral organisations, she added.
"I think the Irish programme should be more ambitious. The Irish Government should be a persuader and an advocate for reform of the UN institutions and the IMF."
The Government's overseas aid division was renamed Irish Aid last month, having previously been known as Development Co-operation Ireland.
Ms Burton said the continued reports of war, widespread corruption and the failure of public institutions in various African countries meant that public confidence in how our aid money was spent remained a critical question for the Irish programme.
The continuing failure of the UN and many multilateral organisations and the IMF seriously to reform provided another huge barrier to confidence in development aid and partnership, she added.