The Government has decided Ireland should meet the United Nations target to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on development aid by 2012, the Taoiseach told its 60th anniversary summit in New York last night. He made a binding commitment that 0.5 per cent would be spent by 2007. This involves roughly an extra €200 million on the existing €500 million-plus annual aid budget.
Thereafter a different government would be in office and precise targets would depend on economic growth, he said. But it is likely that by the year 2012 the annual figure will reach €1.527 billion - the equivalent of €380 each year for every Irish person, according to one estimate yesterday.
This would put development aid among the second rank of spending departments, well below health, education and social welfare, but substantially on a par with spending on the Garda, Defence Forces and within shouting distance of industry and labour or agriculture. It is important to recognise what the commitment entails for the national Exchequer. This is real money, competing with other vital budgetary lines.
All the more reason, then, to examine how binding in fact is this new commitment. By making it on the same international platform at which in 2000 he pledged to meet the target by 2007, Mr Ahern has put Ireland's reputation for honest dealing in world politics at stake. There has been hard bargaining between Government departments and the Coalition partners on it between those who wanted to meet it by 2010 and 2012 - understandably so, given the resources involved.
But it is disappointing that a commitment enjoying widespread popular approval will not be reached earlier. The promise must now be copperfastened by political pledges from Opposition parties to honour it, a willingness to put it into legislative form and publication of detailed plans on how the increased resources will be managed and distributed over the next seven years.
Ireland's aid programme is widely recognised as one of the most effective in the UN system and is already among the top 10 of its member states on a per capita basis.
It is targeted at the poorest states (most of them in Africa), is not tied to the purchase of Irish goods and services and has been well administered. It builds on a proud tradition of public, private and religious internationalism through the UN system which is part of Ireland's global identity.
We can afford the price and should be more aware of the moral, political and material benefits flowing from it. Among them, strengthening the UN system looms large.
Ireland supports and benefits from a legitimate international order based on the rule of law and the objective of tackling primary poverty built into the UN's Millennium Development Goals.
This summit needs all the support it can get after reaffirming them but falling short of the political will and structures to do so.