The Church in Ireland’s development agency Trócaire has called on the Government to uphold Ireland’s reputation as a leader in international development by increasing the amount committed in the forthcoming budget.
The charity made the call as a global report warned that 142 million people will face severe food shortages in 2021.
Trócaire is also urging the Government to outline a pathway to reach spending of 0.5% of GNI on overseas aid by 2025, and to ensure climate finance allocations will also increase in the lifetime of the Government.
CEO Caoimhe de Barra insisted that while “aid is only one part of any systemic response to break the cycle of global crises and address the underlying drivers of vulnerability” it is “a crucial tool in the fight against poverty and inequality”.