It is time to refocus our energies on Africa, where Ireland should lead by example, writes Tom Arnold.
Ireland has responded with extraordinary generosity to the tsunami disaster. The final contribution from the public may be close to €50 million, while the Government has committed €20 million and is prepared to increase this if necessary.
This outpouring of generosity has been remarkable. Communities have come together to raise funds.
The immediate challenge now facing the countries affected, the international community and the aid agencies is to provide the immediate relief in a co-ordinated way and to begin the process of rehabilitation.
The aid agencies, which have received very large quantities of money in trust, must account for the money at home and in the field. Even more important, they must demonstrate they have the capacity and experience to spend it in a way which has an impact on the lives of the poorest people, both in the short term and in a longer-term sustainable way.
But the extraordinary response to the tsunami disaster raises another question. Can such generosity be translated and extended to tackling the wider and deeper issues of global poverty? It is no disrespect to the victims of the tsunami to point out that roughly the same number of people killed by it die every two weeks in Africa from the effects of hunger, poverty, preventable diseases like malaria and measles and HIV/AIDS.
The question is particularly relevant as the Millennium Project Report was published last week in New York. Set up in 2002 by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and led by Prof Jeffrey Sachs, its purpose is to spell out what needs to be done to achieve the millennium development goals (MDG) by 2015 and the cost of doing so.
The report clearly shows that, under current trends, many countries in Africa have no chance of meeting the targets of halving hunger and poverty, reversing the spread of AIDS and getting all their children to primary school by the target date.
I believe that Ireland can, and should, play a leading role in working towards the achievement of the goals. While the Government will play a critical role, it should not be left to it. We should instead aim to harness a national effort, like what has happened in response to the tsunami disaster, in working towards the goals.
There are, however, a number of measures which the Government should take.
First, it should commit to a new date, following consultation with the social partners and the NGOs, by which it will reach the target of providing 0.7 per cent of GNP to the aid programme. With flexibility on all sides, and with clear assurances that the Government will meet its commitments this time, it should be possible to agree a new date which could receive general acceptance.
Second, it should play a leadership role within the EU and at international level in working towards the MDG. EU foreign ministers meet in March to discuss what contribution the EU will make towards their financing. Ireland should be a leading advocate for a generous approach.
Third, it can stimulate a national conversation on how best Ireland can use its resources, through the aid programme, our NGOs, the private sector, our universities and the many skills which this country can offer in working towards the goals. The forthcoming White Paper on Development Policy is the ideal opportunity for that conversation.
The White Paper should provide an up-to-date analysis of the root causes of poverty and lack of development, and then select a limited number of areas where Ireland has clear competencies and a comparative advantage in addressing these root causes.
These might include:
Conflict prevention and resolution. Conflict is a key blockage to development, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Any vision of development requires that more international assistance and expertise be provided to African countries to prevent and resolve conflict. Notwithstanding the current crisis in the Irish peace process, Ireland has valuable expertise which could assist other countries.
Governance and economic development. Improved governance is about more than just tackling corruption: it must build political and administrative capability. The Irish economic experience over the past 15 years is a matter of intense interest to many countries.
Some of the key factors which explain the Irish success story - a favourable external economic environment, EU membership - are clearly not relevant to developing countries in Africa.
But others, such as the long-term commitment to education, consistency of public policy, social partnership and a high-quality Civil Service, are relevant and can assist developing countries.
Tackling the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The current aid programme devotes considerable resources to this area, and the Taoiseach is personally committed to further efforts in this regard.
Tackling hunger. More than 800 million people in the world suffer from chronic hunger. This involves huge economic and social costs, increased susceptibility to disease and maintenance of a vicious cycle of poverty. Our own Great Hunger of the 19th century provides a moral and historical basis for prioritising this issue within our aid programme. Our modern history of agricultural and rural development provides a base of expertise which can be relevant to many developing countries.
I proposed some months ago in these columns that Ireland should partner with Ethiopia to achieve the MDG of halving the number of hungry people in the world by 2015. The prospect of the two countries most identified with famine in the 19th and 20th centuries respectively working together to eliminate famine and hunger in the 21st century would be powerfully symbolic.
The generosity of the Irish people to help the poorest of the world has never been in doubt. The response to the tsunami disaster provides an opportunity to build a compact between the Government and the people that, nationally, we will use our commitment and resources to tackle the core issues of global poverty. If we take this opportunity, we could set a shining example for the rest of the world.
Tom Arnold is chief executive of Concern. He is a member of the Millennium Project's task force on hunger