Irish Catholic bishops yesterday strongly urged the Government to commit to reaching the UN target of giving 0.7 per cent of GNP to overseas aid by 2010.
The appeal was made in a pastoral letter on international development from the Irish Bishops' Conference, ahead of the UN summit meeting in New York where Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will announce the timescale for Ireland to achieve the 0.7 per cent goal.
The pastoral letter points out that indications the Government would not achieve its original commitment to reach the goal by 2007 had been met with "widespread disappointment".
"We urge the Government to go the extra mile in expressing Ireland's solidarity with the developing world and to re-establish its public commitment to reaching the UN target at the earliest possible date and to honour the target it sets," the letter stated.
Launching the letter, Towards the Global Common Good, in Dublin yesterday, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland Dr Seán Brady mentioned a target date of 2010 at the latest.
He said he believed the Government commitment in 2000 to set aside 0.7 per cent of GNP by 2007 had been widely supported by Irish people.
"We therefore appeal to the Irish Government to further enhance its reputation as a global leader in development aid and to commit itself to reach the UN target of 0.7 per cent of GNP by the year 2010 at the latest," he said.
Urging the Government to "take their courage in their hands", he said the bishops believed there was substantial support among the Irish people for a compelling and world-leading target which would express their commitment to a more just and compassionate world.
Confirmation that Ireland had moved further up the table of world development since the original target suggested that there was no justifiable reason why such a target could not now be achieved, Dr Brady said.
He said that, through the letter, the bishops hoped to initiate a discussion about the moral and spiritual implications of Ireland's status as one of the most successful and globalised economies of the world. They did so in anticipation of the UN summit.
The summit would assess the progress of the international community towards the Millennium Development Goals established in 2000, including eradication of extreme poverty and provision of primary education for every child.
"All the indications now are that not one of the eight Millennium Development Goals will be met by the target date of 2015. This is, in itself, a tragic and eloquent statement," he said.
Chairman of Trócaire Bishop John Kirby reiterated the call on the Government to fix a new target date for 2010. Ireland had now reached 0.39 per cent and had five years to make 0.3 per cent.
"An Taoiseach has the chance next week to deliver a new commitment on behalf of the Irish people, a commitment that is realistic, achievable and morally required" he said.
Yesterday, Fine Gael foreign affairs spokesman Bernard Allen TD called on the Taoiseach to state that Ireland would meet the target by 2010 and not hold out to 2015. Minister for Finance Brian Cowen wants Ireland to reach the target by 2015, the date set by 25 EU leaders earlier this year.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern and the junior minister with responsibility for overseas aid, Conor Lenihan, are pushing for an earlier date, 2012.
Mr Lenihan, who attended the launch yesterday, said they wanted to achieve a realistic time frame and set interim targets.