Press Release
June 15, 2020 • 1 min read
GOAL has warmly welcomed the commitment in the draft Programme for Government that Ireland will make continued progress on its contribution to Overseas Development Assistance (ODA).
GOAL CEO, Siobhan Walsh, said: “GOAL welcomes the draft Programme for Government commitment to Ireland making annual, sustainable progress to achieve the UN target of ODA of 0.7% of Gross National Income by 2030, and that all Irish aid is to be spent in full compliance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”
“We recognise that this builds on the “A Better World” policy, which demonstrates Ireland’s bold vision of a more sustainable world for all. We applaud the leadership of the parties negotiating a new government in reiterating the commitment to this vision. The people of Ireland always remember our history, and yet again, as we face challenging times, we remain resilient in our commitment to building that better world for all.”
Ms Walsh said the acknowledgment in the draft Programme that “the economic implications of COVID-19 in Ireland do not compare to the potential impacts of the virus in the global south” supports the urgent need to address the growing secondary threats of COVID-19 in developing countries. These include food insecurity, the loss of livelihoods, the severe strain on health systems and deepening inequalities, most especially for women and girls.
She added that she is pleased to see the commitment to work with the international community to deal with growing migrant crisis across the Middle East and North Africa, and to support international efforts to achieve a democratic solution to the crisis in Venezuela where GOAL is currently responding to support thousands of Venezuelan refugees in Colombia.
