Eamonn Meehan, Executive Director of Trócaire An increase of €13m to Ireland’s overseas Official Development Assistance (ODA) has been welcomed by Irish charities but plans need to be made to reach UN goals.
Catholic charity Trócaire, who help people in dire situations around the world, welcomed the announcement by the Finance Minister this week saying that it was a step towards reducing global poverty.
Executive Director Éamon Meehan said that Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney highlighted the importance of having a clear roadmap towards contributing 0.7% of Ireland’s modified Gross National Income (GNI) to ODA by 2025. He said the “Ireland’s future reputation and credibility as an international development actor hinges on meeting its 0.7% UN target”, which is in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Progress
“This Budget shows progress on meeting this objective. However, the Government must now publish a timetable to outline exactly how we are going to meet our international obligations by 2025,” Éamon Martin said.
Last year Trócaire reached 2.6 million people including Syrian refugees fleeing conflict and people in East Africa suffering from a drought that is affecting 25 million people.
“The announcement of an increase in ODA is timely as deepening inequality, climate change and global conflict are contributing to the unprecedented level of humanitarian needs across the globe.”