Ireland to Double Foreign Aid
September 19th, 2006, Brian O'DohertyThe Irish Government yesterday annouced a major increase of Foreign Aid, year by year commencing now, with a target of doubling present levels of aid by 2012. Aid is scheduled to increase yearly from this years €740 million to € 1.5 billion in 2012, at which time it should represent 0.7% of ireland’s GNP, the UN target. EU countries who have accepted the same target are not due to reach it until 2015.
In launching the new commitment in Dublin, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern stated that irish people are strongly committed to foreign aid and to sharing our recently found wealth with poorer people of the world “with whom we share a common humanity”
Most Irish AId is focused on 8 Priority countries , these being Ethiopia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. Malawi will now be added to this list. Laos, we hear, and a few others may be added later. The focus is usually on poverty reduction and funds go to health and education in large amounts. However, c. 90 other countries are also eligible to a lesser degree. Irelands Aid Programme has been praised for its efficiency and lack of tied-ness to purchase of irish products or services. In general money is provided for specific sustainable projects and not simply added to recipient governments general coffers.
More later….
