Minister of State for Development Joe Costello today announced the public consultation phase on the review of the White Paper on Irish Aid as part of the Programme for Government.
In the new round of consultation, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is seekintg the opinions of the public, non-governmental organisations, the Oireachtas, as well as private sector institutions and Ireland’s partner countries on what the White Paper will chart out for the future of Ireland's aid policy.
“To greet the current challenging economic times, we must redouble our efforts to ensure every cent spent in our aid programme delivers value for money and clear accountability to the Irish public and to the partners and communities we are working with in developing countries,” Mr Costello said.
Internal review of the White Paper began in June 2011. Originally published in 2006, the White Paper is a statement of Government policy outlining a programme of assistance to poverty-stricken nations, as a fundamental part of Ireland’s foreign policy.
The new review comes in light not only of the drastic change to Ireland’s economic climate, but for the first time policymakers must also look to foster trade with countries who have made enormous developmental strides since the White Paper was first published.
“It’s important that documents like White Paper don’t just stagnate on the shelf, they actually become living documents and amend and change if necessary as time progresses,” said Nora Owen, chair of the Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group.
This phase of the review will likely be concluded in the autumn, at which time Mr Costello will publish a report detailing the results, as well as the blueprint for aid programme priorities for the coming years.
In 2012, the Government has already pledged to provide €639 million to assist developing countries, in line with the 0.7 percent of GNP set by the UN target for Official Development Assistance.
The public is invited to participate in the consultation by attending a series of meetings throughout Ireland over the next six weeks: in Limerick on February 6th, Cork on March 5th, Dublin on March 26th and Sligo on April 16th.
In addition to the meetings, members of the public have the opportunity to provide written responses, and will also be able to add commentary to the White Paper review via social media on Facebook and Twitter.