‘State failing to fulfil overseas aid aims’
The group’s director, Fr Sean Healy, said the Government should set a new deadline of 2010 to achieve its targets in relation to relief funds for developing and under-developed countries.
The CORI Justice Commission also made a submission to the Government on its forthcoming White Paper on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), and in it claimed “poverty is the major injustice in a world that is not, as a unit, poor”.
“Now more than ever, as Ireland becomes more prosperous, the Irish Government should reach the UN ODA target and exercise its voice within the European Union and in world institutions to ensure the elimination of poverty becomes the focus of all policy development,” Fr Healy said.
Among the recommendations made to Government on the ODA White Paper are that Ireland should formally commit to reaching the UN target of contributing 0.7% of GNP to ODA by 2010, three years later than originally planned.
The minister with responsibility for overseas aid, Conor Lenihan, was heavily criticised late last year when he said the Government would not be able to meet its commitment to 0.7% of GNP.
The submission also urges a formal commitment by the Government to retain ODA contributions at a level equivalent to 0.7% of GNP from 2010 onwards and for those resources to be ring-fenced from any future cutbacks.
The submission also calls for programmed funding increases in the years leading up to 2010 and for bodies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and aid agencies to begin detailed planning on how to utilise additional resources.
