UN/IRELAND: The Government's failure to increase overseas aid spending to United Nations target levels by 2007 has been criticised by a senior UN official. Paul Cullen reports.
Ms Eveline Herfkens, a former Dutch development minister and the executive co-ordinator of the UN's global campaign to reduce poverty, yesterday described the abandonment of the 0.7 per cent of GNP target as "very disappointing".
The New York-based diplomat said she was particularly disappointed as Ireland was the first country to commit to reaching the 30-year-old target beyond the original four countries to surpass it (Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway).
According to Ms Herfkens, her campaign to promote the UN Millennium Development Goals, which aims to halve global poverty by 2015, has up to now promoted Ireland as "a shining example" in Europe for the way political consensus was achieved in favour of increasing aid spending.
UN secretary general Mr Kofi Annan appointed Ms Herfkens as executive co-ordinator for the Millennium Development Goals campaign in 2002, based in New York.
The Minister for Finance, Mr Cowan, revealed in last week's Estimates that aid spending would increase to a maximum of 0.5 per cent of GNP in 2007, instead of the 0.7 per cent commitment originally made by the Taoiseach at the UN general assembly in 2002.
Mr Ahern is likely to be asked to explain the Government's change of policy when he travels to New York later this year for a review of progress towards the Millennium Goals.
Singer and debt campaigner Bob Geldof has also criticised the decision. "A promise by the strong and healthy to the weak and hungry must be kept," he commented. "Anything else is a sort of discreet bullying. Ireland can lead on this issue but who believes people who break their word?"
Former Fianna Fáil minister and chairman of the Oireachtas committee on foreign affairs, Dr Michael Woods, expressed disappointment. "This was the opportunity to put our overseas development aid back on track," he said. Dr Woods called on the Government to find further funding by Budget day which would allow for aid spending to be increased to at least 0.45 per cent. This would involve spend of an extra €35 million beyond the €535 million committed next year.