Dóchas, an umbrella group for Ireland’s development NGOs, has expressed disappointment at the Government’s decision to further slash the overseas aid budget.
“Once again, the poorest people on earth have been hit hard,” said Hans Zomer, director of Dóchas, which unites 44 Irish aid agencies and development NGOs.
He continued: “The announcement of €25m worth of cuts to the aid budget comes on top of a massive 24 per cent cut in 2009 – cuts that have meant severe hardship for countless poor people.”
He said the credibility of Irish aid agencies abroad had been severely dented by the second failure to achieve the aid target date.
“Twice we promised, solemnly, to achieve the UN 0.7 per cent [of GNP] target, and twice we have failed to achieve it by the date we set for ourselves. It does raise serious questions about the credibility of this new aid promise.
He added: “At a minimum, to restore credibility, the Government needs to copper-fasten this commitment in legislation, and announce real and practical steps to restore the aid programme.”
Zomer said Dóchas would be seeking an “urgent meeting” with Minister for Overseas Aid Peter Power “to seek clarification about the Government’s commitment to its international obligations”.
A total of €536.4m has been allocated for overseas developmental aid in this year’s budget, and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin said the Government will resume the expansion of the aid programme when economic circumstances allow.
He said Ireland will not meet its target of spending 0.7 per cent of GNP on overseas development assistance by 2011, but that he hoped this threshold would be reached by 2015.
“This stabilisation in our ODA (overseas development aid) programme has been achieved against a background of enormous budgetary pressures and reflects the determination of the Government, supported by the Irish people, to help those in the world who can least help themselves,” said the minister in a statement.
