Madam, - Oxfam Ireland welcomes the publication of the Government's white paper on Irish aid which places development as a core plank of Ireland's foreign policy.
The paper indicates that Ireland will continue its commitment to supporting critical sectors such as health and education in the developing world and will focus on the poorest countries, particularly in Africa. By doing so, we can play an important role in building the capacity of African governments to deliver the essential services which are needed if we are to reach the Millennium Development Goals.
We will not reach these goals, however, if our increased assistance is undermined by detrimental policies in other areas such as trade. Therefore the commitment to increased coherence in Government policy through an inter-departmental committee on development chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs is particularly welcome.
If the fight against global poverty right is put at the heart of Ireland's relations with the rest of the world then we can achieve a lot for us all to be proud of. - Yours, etc,
BRIAN SCOTT, Executive Director, Oxfam Ireland, Burgh Quay, Dublin 2.