Massive overseas aid cut shocks Irish agencies
Ireland’s overseas development NGOs today expressed shock at the Government’s decision to slash the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget by €95m.
The member organisations of Dóchas stated that the latest round of aid cuts seriously undermines the Taoiseach’s own promise to protect the world’s poor and vulnerable from the worst of the expenditure cuts.
"Ireland’s aid agencies recognise that unprecedented times call for strong measures, but taking such an enormous portion from the aid budget – more than 10% of the sum budgeted in October – will seriously hit the poorest of the poor," said Hans Zomer of Dóchas, the umbrella group of overseas aid agencies.
"We acknowledge that the Government faces difficult choices but are dismayed at the size of this cut, the third significant chop to the aid budget in just seven months. This raises serious question marks about the strength of Government commitment to delivering on its international pledges to fight poverty."
Ireland has committed to spending 0.7% of Gross National Income on overseas aid by 2012 and is supposed to reach a 0.6% benchmark in 2010. But the overseas aid programme was hit by €45m in the public spending cuts of July 2008 and another €15m was taken from the aid budget in October.
With this latest €95m cut, Ireland’s performance has fallen back to a pre-2006 percentage level at 0.53% spending of national income.
Mr Zomer said: “Ireland was proud of its leadership in tackling international poverty as aid spending increased, but international standing depends on adherence to principles, commitments and pledges in difficult times as well as in good times. The world’s poor are already being hit by the financial crisis, soaring food prices and climate change, and cannot withstand an aid crisis too.
"If we want economic growth with global stability, we need to work towards a fair and just world. Ireland needs to invest in developing countries, not turn its back on the poor when times get tough."
