Ireland's contribution to overseas aid will not be affected by a slowdown in the economy, the Government claimed this evening.
Ms Liz O'Donnell said she was confident her target of reserving 0.45 per cent of GNP for foreign development aid would be reached by the end of next year. This ambition was not at risk, she insisted, when asked if the downturn in the Government's income and the cutbacks in spending expected to be detailed in next week's Budget were a cause for concern.
Ms O'Donnell, the Minister of State with Responsibility for Overseas Development, made the assurance ahead of the launch of the Ireland Aid Annual Report 2000 this evening.
She said the Government had decided in September last year to met the United Nations target for overseas development aid (ODA) of 0.7 per cent of GNP by 2007. In order to achieve this goal, the Government "front-loaded" its contributions.
"That means if our growth declines, we'll still be in a position to reach our 0.45 per cent target next year."
This translates to £365 million (€464 million) set aside in the Budget for ODA in 2002, up from £201 million (€255 million) in 2000.
The Government had set up Ireland Aid in such a way that any possible change after a general election would not interfere with aid provision. "Anyway, there is cross-party support for these commitments," the minister said.
Africa and the AIDS pandemic in particular will be Ireland Aid's main priority next year. Ms O'Donnell said the WHO estimated that 28 million of the world's 40 million sufferers of HIV/AIDS lived in the continent.
An extra £30 million will be allocated for AIDS-related activities over last year, bringing the annual total £48 million.
