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Family planning policies and Irish Aid

Earlier this week, at the London Summit on Family Planning organised jointly by the British Government’s Department for International Development and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, it was announced that the UK was doubling its efforts on family planning in the developing world to £180m per year, through direct and indirect support.

The UK has committed more than £500m over eight years to achieve the goal of enabling 120m people in poor countries to have access to modern methods of family planning by 2020.

As Prime Minister Cameron rightly stated, “a country cannot develop properly when its young women are dying from unintended pregnancy and when its children are dying in infancy.”

Our Government contends that Ireland has a strong track record of support to family planning services through global initiatives. In fact, this support amounts to just €5m (to the United Nations Population Fund), out of a total annual aid budget of approx €700m to Irish Aid.

Nowhere in Irish Aid’s overseas policies does the thorny issue of population planning warrant a mention.

Fifteen donor governments were represented at this week’s conference, alongside the World Bank, World Health Organisation and many other agencies.

There was no Irish Aid or Government representative present, even as an observer.

One suspects that cosy summits in Rio are more acceptable to the concerned parties than conferences which can change the lot of millions simply by empowering women in the developing world.

Cartan Finegan
Old Dunleary Road
Dun Laoghaire
Co Dublin

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