Senator Dearey addresses Independent Irish Foreign Policy Conference

Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson Senator Mark Dearey has said the Green Party is committed to achieving Ireland's overseas development aid targets by 2015. Speaking ahead of a conference on Irish Foreign Policy, which takes place this evening in Dublin, Senator Dearey said the Party hopes to see current ODA levels maintained, despite budgetary pressures.

Senator Dearey said: "Ireland must continue to press for the achievement of the eight goals identified in the UN Millennium Declaration. By 2015, we must reach the ODA target of 0.7% of GNP, first committed to at the General Assembly as far back as back as 1970 and repeated by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in his speech to the General Assembly at the Millenium Development Convention in 2000."

The original declaration read: ‘Each economically advanced country will progressively increase its official development assistance to the developing countries and will exert its best efforts to reach a minimum net amount of 0.7 percent of its gross national product at market prices by the middle of the decade.'

"This mid-decade target was missed as have repeated targets since, but the Green Party is committed to Ireland achieving the target by 2015 and with that in mind we are committed to maintaining our 2009 level of .52% of GNP in 2010 despite the severe economic difficulties being experienced by the country.

"Furthermore it is critical in our view that activity funded by ODA is not reclassified as climate adaptation funding or that adaptation funding itself is not drawn from the ODA budget. It is our firm intention to argue strongly for 100% climate adaptation funding to meet our commitment of €100 million over three years.

"To ensure that there is complete transparency on this matter this funding should be channelled through the Department of Environment. To achieve the 2015 target, Dochas are correct in their proposal for a stated annual target that shows how we will get to .07% by 2015."