Ireland spent some €814 million last year on overseas development aid to support projects in more than 90 countries, a report published today said.
Minister of State for Overseas Development Michael Kitt published the Irish Aid annual report for 2006, which also reveals that the State gave €100 million to 40 countries to assist them after natural disasters or humanitarian crises.
Minister of State for Overseas Development, Michael Kitt
Over €140 million was provided to non-governmental organisations and missionaries to support their initiatives to reduce poverty.
Mr Kitt said that spending more than 0.5 per cent of GNP on overseas aid last year places Ireland on course to reach the UN target of spending 0.7 per cent of GNP on overseas aid by 2012.
"The commitment also places Ireland among the most generous donors in the world," he said.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development recently ranked Ireland as the sixth-most generous per capita aid donor.
Irish Aid's annual report for 2006 focuses specifically on HIV/Aids.
Last year the aid programme achieved its target of spending €100 million on HIV/Aids and other communicable diseases.
"The struggle against HIV and Aids is central to the fight against global poverty . . . Irish Aid is providing much needed support to many of the worst affected countries for treatment and prevention," Mr Kitt said.