The Dáil has been asked to pass legislation allowing a donation of €50 million to a World Bank lending agency.
Payable over six years, the money is intended for the International Development Association (IDA) which provides grants and zero interest long-term loans to the world's poorest developing nations.
Africa's Aids crisis and the continual need for its funding is one of the reasons for the legislation, according to the Minister of State for Enterprise, Mr Michael Ahern. He told the Dáil that the World Bank and the IDA "are the largest investors in Aids projects of any institutions in the world".
Mr Ahern said the HIV/Aids pandemic had killed 23 million of the 63 million people infected to date, and left 14 million orphans worldwide.
The Minister said the IDA continued to examine Africa's development issues systematically "and seeks ways to respond in a flexible and timely manner".
Opposition deputies supported the International Development Association (Amendment) Bill in principle, but criticised the operations of international lending institutions and their approach to developing countries.
TDs also condemned the Government's freezing of funding for Overseas Development Aid, despite a commitment to be donating 0.7 per cent of GDP annually by 2007.
Fine Gael's finance spokes- man, Mr Richard Bruton, ex- pressed concern that the Government was rowing back on its commitment. He was also alarmed by World Bank reports of a collapse in the level of aid being given by other states. "It is important that Ireland not only reiterates its commitment and puts in place a strategic plan to achieve it, but also works to use its considerable international influence."
Labour's finance spokeswoman, Ms Joan Burton, expressed reservations about Ireland "simply signing blank cheques" for agencies such as the IDA. While reforms of such institutions were underway, they had a long way to go, she said.
She called for the Government to use its EU presidency to ensure "the EU Constitution will remain focused on poverty-reduction and capacity-building in some of the poorest countries in the world".
