Robinson hits out at broken aid promise

It was “wrong” for the Government to renege on its United Nations commitments on overseas development aid, former president Mary Robinson today claimed.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has rowed back on a promise he made to the UN in New York in 2000 that Ireland would contribute 0.7% of its Gross National Product to overseas development aid by 2007.

But Mrs Robinson who was in the UN building at the time of Mr Ahern’s speech, said today: “I’m sorry that we haven’t kept our pledge that was solemnly made.

“It’s wrong to make that kind of a principled commitment and then renege on it. Somehow we’ve lost a high ground that was part of an image and a perception of the modern Ireland.”

Mrs Robinson, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said Ireland “traded” on the aid announcement to get a coveted seat on the UN Security Council.

Mrs Robinson, who is now executive director of Realising Rights – The Ethical Globalisation Initiative, said Ireland’s economic boom has placed it among the “rich nations” of the world and that this gave us responsibilities toward poorer countries.

“We are recognised and praised for a very significant economic development. We have higher growth than other European countries.

“We have a population that would have risen to that principled stand,” she said.

“I know that Ireland is providing significant funds for development aid and I’ve seen those aid projects on the ground and they’re very well thought through.”

Mrs Robinson said that while she was president of Ireland she found Irish people had a huge interest in the Third World aid.

“There’s a very developed, sophisticated interest in development issues, and so there should be.”

Speaking on RTE Radio, Mrs Robinson also criticised the “lack of coherence” in the EU’s policy of subsidising agricultural products to the detriment of exports from poorer African countries.