Nobody ever believed it would be easy to increase the level of Ireland's Overseas Development Aid funding to 0.7 per cent of GNP.
The more economically successful a country becomes, the higher its financial contributions will rise. That is the whole point behind the United Nations scheme: to transform the Third World by funnelling an increasing amount of development aid from the richest to the poorest countries.
Knowing the difficulties, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, made a speech to the United Nations Assembly four years ago in which he gave a solemn commitment on behalf of this State to meet the 0.7 per cent funding target by 2007. And he was commended for the positive lead that had been given to other developed countries. Now, however, it seems the Taoiseach's undertaking will not be honoured. Little progress has been made during the past two years in raising the GNP percentage of Government funding for overseas aid. And, by the end of next year, it will probably amount to less than 0.5 per cent.
Mr Ahern and his colleagues have spoken about doing everything possible to reach the target set. But they know the political commitment required to allocate the money has been absent. The Minister of State with responsibility for the area, Mr Conor Lenihan, admitted as much on being appointed to the Government. And nothing we have heard since then has changed the situation.
It is true that very large amounts of money are involved. An extra €60m has been allocated in the Estimates for next year, bringing the annual contribution to €460m. And Ireland's record, in terms of per-capita spending on foreign aid, compares favourably with the majority of our EU partners. Defending the Government's performance yesterday, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr McDowell, admitted it might take "a year or two longer" to reach the target. But, he said, they would get there.
It is not good enough. Breaking promises delivered in the heat of an election campaign is one thing; failing to deliver on an obligation voluntarily undertaken in an international forum is another. Growth in the economy has, of course, raised the amount of funding required from this State. But that consequence was always understood and accepted by Irish people. The stinginess of the Government was underlined by its decision to recoup the VAT payments it will forego on the sale of Band Aid DVD and CD sales from the already-inadequate overseas development fund. It was a bean-counting exercise that has damaged the reputation of Mr Ahern and his Government.