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OVERSEAS AID
IRELAND
PLAYS MAJOR
ROLE IN
OVERSEAS AID
Ireland is a small nation with a big
reputation as a caring nation, and
with countless surveys showing
that public support in Ireland
for overseas aid is extremely
high, Hans Zomer, Director of
Dóchas, outlines the following
seven reasons why such aid is so
important for this country’s future.
(1)Aid from Ireland works for the world
There is plenty of evidence that
international aid is making huge
differences for millions of people around
the world. UN and OECD reports show
that aid from Ireland is helping to scaleup local efforts to save lives, educate
children, develop livelihoods, stimulate
growth, build democratic societies and
promote peace and security.
(2) Aid from Ireland works for Ireland
Ireland’s international development
programme is highly respected
internationally and gives us a seat at the
table, because we are a credible voice on
international affairs.
The government has indicated that for
us to get out of the recession, we need
to repair the damage to our reputation.
Our overseas aid gives us a big platform
to build on – provided we demonstrate
our reliability and our willingness to
honour promises made to the international
community.
the pillars of democracy and accountability
that benefit markets and citizens alike.
And in doing so, it is building stability,
partnerships and markets which bring
potential benefit for Ireland, too.
(3) Aid helps lay the foundations for
economic prosperity
In order for the economy of developing
regions to prosper an ‘enabling
environment’ must be established. Ireland’s bilateral and multilateral aid
programmes are playing a hugely effective
part in constructing this environment by
enabling an active, educated, healthy
workforce, and by laying the foundations
for stable, accountable governments able
to enforce the democratic regulations and
the democratic rule of law.
Overseas aid serves to ensure that the
benefits of economic growth are shared
more equally across societies, thus
contributing to greater stability and social
sustainability. Overseas aid strengthens
(4)Aid is not charity; it’s an investment
in the future
Overseas aid is an investment in a
country’s future. The countries with
which we work will, in time, become part
of a growing group of Ireland’s trading
partners.
By assisting other countries in their
efforts to escape poverty, we are investing
in future partnerships and future trade
relations. Much like Ireland in the 1980s,
developing countries will remember those
countries that stood by them in their
hour of need, and they will have a natural
inclination to work and trade with them.
Strong economic growth, a rising
middle class, democratic consolidation
and enormous natural resources make
Maurice McQuillan, Trócaire’s Head of Humanitarian, meets Syrian refugee families at the
Reyfoun Medical Centre, close to the border with Syria. (Pic: Joêlle El Dib/Caritas Lebanon)
Africa an important emerging economic
region. By 2018, five of the world’s
fastest growing economies will be in SubSaharan Africa, according to the IMF.
The Irish Government’s Africa Strategy
and the Ireland’s Policy for International
Development make clear that mutually
beneficial investment, trade, energy and
green technology initiatives are important
to Ireland on the continent, as well as
development and humanitarian objectives.
(5)Aid is our ‘membership fee’
for belonging to the international
community of nations
Small countries like Ireland benefit from a
rules based international order – an order
that does not come about automatically,
but requires institutions, which, in turn,
require support and investment.
Our overseas aid programme pays
for our contributions to the UN institutions
and its associated bodies like the WHO,
FAO, UNDP and UNHCR.
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OVERSEAS AID
FACTS AND FIGURES TO HIT THE HEADLINES
• 700 million fewer people lived in conditions of extreme poverty in 2010 than in 1990;
• Between 2000 and 2011, the number of children out of school declined by almost half – from 102 million to 57
million;
• Worldwide, the mortality rate for children under five dropped by 41% between 1990 and 2011;
• Globally, the maternal mortality ratio declined by 47% since 1990;
• Between 2000 and 2010, mortality rates from malaria fell by more than 25% globally;
• Over the last 21 years, more than 2.1 billion people gained access to improved drinking water, meeting the MDG
target five years ahead of schedule despite significant population growth.
Our aid programme is a practical and
tangible expression of our nation’s wish
to cooperate with other countries and to
help them weather the storms of global
economic turbulence.
The recent succession of global crises
has shown how inter-connected the world
is: the web of economic, financial, credit,
trade and human movements is now
tightly woven, binding the fate of nations
together. Financial crises, pandemics
and climate chaos affect all countries,
irrespective of size, geography or political
orientation.
This inter-dependence has brought
great advantages, and great risks.
The current global crisis is a powerful
reminder of the need to manage the
associated risks more effectively. Ireland’s
future lies in international trade and in
international co-operation and it is in our
own short-term and long-term interest to
invest in strong, democratic, accountable
and effective governance mechanisms for
the globe. And that is precisely what our
aid programme is about.
(6)Our aid promise is worth keeping
Ireland must continue to make visible
progress towards the 0.7% commitment.
The Government has recognised that
maintaining our role and reputation in
overseas aid (Official Development
Assistance, or ODA) is key to restoring
our damaged international reputation.
There still is a great need for aid.
Poverty is still widespread and it is not
enough to put our faith in the market
alone. ‘Development’ needs a variety of
forms of finance, and public aid money
has a particular role to play. More than
any other global financial flow, aid invests
in public goods and supports sectors
and communities that do not attract great
amounts of investment in education, health
and water – or where investments are
unlikely to provide equity and equality of
access.
More than other financial flows, Aid is
targeted at the least developed Countries,
and it is more stable and predictable than
the more volatile international financial
flows. And aid can help build countries’
capacities to raise more funds themselves,
for instance through taxation.
(7)Irish people expect us to increase
overseas aid
The aid programme benefits from huge
levels of public support. Survey after
survey shows that public support in
Ireland for overseas aid is extremely high.
More importantly people in Ireland
continue to donate their money to
agencies that work in the area of
development co-operation, showing that
people in Ireland don’t just pay lip service
to the principle of international solidarity.
Our aid programme is an important
way for Irish NGOs to leverage those
public donations, and to channel public
and political support for a better world.
Our aid programme encourages global
citizenship in our island nation and
promotes greater local and global linkages
in a globalised world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hans Zomer is Director of Dóchas (the
Irish Association of Non-Governmental
Development Organisations). Through
Dóchas, Irish NGOs work together to
improve the impact of their work, and
to apply their collective experiences to
inform government policy and practice.
Zomer previously worked as desk
officer with Concern Worldwide and
as country director of EIRENE-Tchad,
a medium-sized human rights and rural
development organisation based in
N’Djamena, Chad.
Hans Zomer has substantial
experience in development-related
policy and advocacy work, having
worked as policy officer at Brusselsbased advocacy networks, such as
APRODEV and the NGO-EU Liaison
Committee (now called CONCORD),
and as a development consultant in
Pakistan.
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