Take action on Aid Cuts

19 May 2009

VSI ASKS YOU TO TAKE ACTION ON AID CUTS

 

In last month's budget, the Government cut the Irish Aid programme for a fourth time in 10 months. The Irish overseas aid budget was cut by €45 million in July 2008, another €15 million in October and by €95 million in February this year. This takes another €100 off the budget. This means that in the first four months of 2009 aid spending has been cut by €195 million, or 21.8% of the projected total for the year.

 

Ireland's development NGOs consider these cuts to be disproportionate, unfair and unjust. These cuts will directly hit the world's poorest people, and have raised serious question marks about Ireland's willingness and ability to honour our commitment to help halve global poverty by reaching the target of 0.7% ODA by 2012. Ireland's aid promises are directly linked to the size of our economy. The aid targets are set as a percentage of gross national income (GNI) - as the economy shrinks, so does the aid budget. An 8% fall in national income should proportionately result in a cut of €71 million to the aid budget, not a cut of €195 million

 

In recent years, the Irish Government has won respect throughout the world flowing from it's commitment to bettering the lot of the poorest of the poor in our world. This commitment has been seen as a major thrust of our foreign policy and has improved our reputation throughout the world.

 

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently called for increased efforts to meet overseas aid targets and for member states to maintain a strong political priority to doing so, echoing what development NGOs have been saying in Ireland. Strong political priority should be given to meeting aid targets, the OECD said, adding that "aid cuts at this point in time would place a dangerous additional burden on developing countries already faced with restricted sources of income and poverty, and perhaps undo some of the progress already made towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals."

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Write a letter to your local newspaper's editor, to express your concerns about the aid cuts
• Canvass your local politicians and MEP's standing for election
• Canvass your local TD by email, phone or calling to their constituency - you can get their contact details here - http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/members/document1.htm
• Keep in touch with the Dochas website (the umbrella group for NGO's of which VSI is a member) www.dochas.ie for updates on actions and initiatives

 

Thanks for your support.

 

Tom Ryder

Coordinator VSI