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Ireland has pledged to double its foreign aid funding to more than \u20ac2bn by 2030.<\/p>\nIreland has pledged to double its foreign aid funding to more than \u20ac2bn by 2030.<\/p>\n
The announcement was made by the Taoiseach and the T\u00e1naiste at the launch of A Better World, the Government\u2019s new policy for international development, at an event in University College Dublin on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The government plans to increase international aid to 0.7% of gross national income by 2030.<\/p>\n
Ireland currently spends more than \u20ac800m per annum on foreign aid.<\/p>\n
Leo Varadkar described the new policy as an \u201celoquent statement\u201d of what the Government wants to achieve in the area of international development in the 21st century.<\/p>\n
He said he was very conscious that, before the economic crisis, Ireland was moving towards reaching the 0.7% goal but it had dropped to about 0.3% since then.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve a long distance to go yet but we\u2019re determined to do it and reach that target by 2030,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar added: \u201cAt its heart is a focused pledge in relation to the sustainable development goals to leave nobody behind and reach the furthest behind first.\u201d<\/p>\n
The funds will go towards issues such as gender equality, climate action and governance.<\/p>\n
The new plan aims to builds on Government\u2019s Global Ireland initiative to double the scope and impact of Ireland\u2019s global footprint by 2025.<\/p>\n
Simon Coveney said the new plans were about making the world a better place to live.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a time of change and uncertainty it\u2019s important that Ireland plays its part not only at home but also abroad,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Coveney said the government did not make the commitment lightly and that it would involve difficult choices for future governments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe financial commitment effectively is to take our development aid from just over 800 million a year to well over two billion euro a year over the next 10 years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me this is part of a measure of who we should be and who we want to be as a global citizen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a real commitment that involves choices and indeed sacrifices of what otherwise could be achieve by this money at home should we chose not to spend it abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n