More overseas aid cuts will tarnish our reputation

AS the Government prepares its mini-budget I would like to raise the issue of possible further cuts to Ireland’s overseas aid budget.

Firstly, let me say Trócaire fully understands and appreciates the gravity of the situation currently facing the economy and accepts that all sections of Irish society need to contribute to getting through these tough times.

However, we also believe fairness must be practised by the Government when deciding where to cut its expenditure. Ireland’s overseas aid budget has been cut by a total of e155 million since July last year; this represents 17% of what the Government predicted it would spend on aid in 2009 (e891m).

Trócaire believes this cut is disproportionate compared to cuts in other sectors and risks Ireland’s aid budget becoming a soft target for cuts when times are hard at home.

We cannot allow Ireland’s aid budget to be seen in this way.

Further cuts in aid, while making a minimal contribution to the Government’s overall target of savings on expenditure, will have a disproportionately negative impact on the world’s poor.

Africa is the principle geographic focus for Ireland’s aid, the bulk of which is given to seven countries. The e155m cut is comparable to the total aid given by Ireland to five of those seven countries in 2007.

This is aid which is literally saving lives, educating and vaccinating children, supporting people to build better livelihoods for themselves and their children and providing water, food and shelter to the most vulnerable at the darkest of times.

In Zambia in 2007, for example, the Irish Government allocated e21.9m. The impact of this funding included 35,000 orphans and vulnerable children who were supported as part of Ireland’s focus on alleviating the impact of HIV and AIDS in that country.

As a result, these children can access HIV and AIDS testing and treatment and continue their schooling. Further cuts to the aid budget would jeopardise this and similar lifesaving work.

Ireland made a solemn promise on two occasions at the UN General Assembly to reach its target of spending 0.7% of GNP in overseas development aid by 2012.

Any further cut to aid in the coming budget, in our view, will make this commitment almost impossible to reach, despite the predicted decline in GNP over the coming year, and it would irrevocably tarnish Ireland’s reputation as a reliable and leading member of the international aid community.

We cannot allow ourselves to get caught up in our own troubles to the extent that we forget the world’s poorest peoples who are suffering the most as a result of the financial crisis, a crisis which they played no part in creating.

Justin Kilcullen

Director

Trócaire

Maynooth

Co Kildare