A volunteering centre that will provide information on overseas development and volunteer has been officially opened by the Taoiseach in Dublin today.
The Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre on O'Connell Street will seek to promote public awareness and understanding of development issues and the role of Irish Aid.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
Irish Aid is the overseas development arm of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
"During my visit to Tanzania and South Africa last week, I saw for myself the positive impact that Ireland - the Government, and NGOs and missionaries and our volunteers - is having in crucial areas such as health care, housing, education and the fight against HIV and AIDS," Mr Ahern said.
"As our aid programme grows in the coming years, the centre will engage the public in this effort and on ways in which the individual can become involved."
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said: "The opening of this centre is the fulfilment of a commitment made . . . to raise awareness of development issues and make more and better information on development-related volunteering available."
Ireland is expected to spend €914 million on aid this year, and the Government has committed itself to meeting the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of GNP on overseas development assistance by 2012.
Comhlámh, the Irish Association of Development Workers, welcomed the opening of the centre.
Located at the junction of O'Connell Street and Cathal Brugha Street in the capital, the centre comprises over 500sq m of exhibition space and will be open to the public from tomorrow.