Madam, - The focus of attention on development aid at the recent United Nations conference is hard to understand. To be sure, aid, when effectively administered, has a role to play in alleviating world poverty and in tackling the scourge of HIV/Aids. However, factors such as war, conflict and bad governance must also be tackled.
When we look at what is happening in Zimbabwe we see an economy and society that is collapsing. Humanitarian aid is definitely required by Zimbabweans, but neither it nor development aid will address the underlying causes of the country's collapse.
The Washington-based Fund for Peace has devised a Failed States Index. For the year ended 2004, 12 of the 20 most failed/failing states are in sub-Saharan Africa. Surely the world community needs to focus on developing and implementing policy solutions that address this issue.
The current preoccupation with development aid is not in itself an adequate policy response to the plight of the many millions of people living in failed or failing states. - Yours, etc,
Dr LF LACEY,
South Strand,
Skerries,
Co Dublin.