Address by the Minister of State for Trade and Development, Joe Costello, T.D., to The

Address by the Minister of State for Trade and Development, Joe Costello, T.D., to the Joint Oireacthas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade

26 June 2013

Chairman, Members of the Committee,

I welcome the opportunity to meet with you today to brief you on the Irish Government’s new policy for International Development – One World, One Future – and to debrief you on the discussions at the Development segment of the Foreign Affairs Council last May which marked the culmination of over one year of planning for Ireland’s EU Council Presidency.

I propose to begin by outlining the new development policy and then to proceed to the outcomes of the Development Council.

Ireland’s new Policy for International Development – One World, One Future

Review of the 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid
A commitment to review the White Paper on Irish Aid was included in the 2011 Programme for Government. The review entailed a comprehensive period of reflection, of listening, and of learning. It sought to examine the progress made by the aid programme over the past 6 years and to review the changing context, in Ireland and overseas, in which we operate. The review aimed to establish clear priorities to guide the Government’s overseas aid programme in the years ahead.

The Review reached over 1000 people directly through public consultation meetings throughout the country and overseas and over 160 written submissions were received – including from members of this committee and the parties you represent. The Review involved meetings with NGOs, the Private Sector and other interested groups in Ireland and indeed the Review was discussed before this Committee, the European Union Affairs Committee and the Seanad on a number of occasions.

I would like to thank those of you who participated in the Review and made it such a vibrant process. I would also like to acknowledge the Irish Aid Expert Advisory Group, chaired by Nora Owen, for the important independent oversight role they played for the Review.

One World, One Future – a framework to guide our thematic engagement

Because of the extensive and systematic nature of this review, I am confident that our new policy – One World One Future - presents a clear direction for Ireland’s role in International Development in the years ahead.

First and foremost, this new policy sets out a framework to guide our thematic engagement in development over the coming years – a framework which will help bring greater coherence to our work, and enable us to better plan for and measure more comprehensively the results which our development efforts are achieving.

Through our vision, we are clear about the bigger picture – about what it is that we as a member of the international community are ultimately contributing towards.

To reach our three goals, we have identified 6 priority areas for action around which we will plan and manage our resources.

And our core values of accountability, human rights, equality, coherence, sustainability, partnership, effectiveness and results will underpin those plans.

Achieving Food and Nutrition Security is now centre stage in our thematic framework in light of leading role on hunger globally. And, recognising the multi-dimensional nature of poverty and hunger, we are placing greater emphasis onthe inter-connections between the different priority areas for action.

Within this policy framework, we are also signalling an evolution in our approach by increasing our focus on responding to situations of fragility, giving even more attention to human rights and climate change; and ensuring that greater emphasis is placed on promoting inclusive and equitable economic growth.

Responding to crises in Syria and Mali over recent months and examining the statistics on progress towards MDGs, a greater focus on situations of Fragility is an imperative. Our commitment includes the announcement that Sierra Leone has been designated a new Key Partner Country for the Government. Also central to this will be how best to link relief, recovery and development. And, overtime, we will examine how best to increase our overall engagement with countries experiencing instability and fragility.

Human Rights have always been of central importance to our foreign policy. But by committing to re-energise our approach in this area, we are stating clearly that matters of non-discrimination, empowerment, accountability, participation and equality must be at the heart of all our development efforts. In many respects, the human rights agenda is about protecting and empowering the most vulnerable and we will now work towards increasing our response to disability and to further addressing the root causes of gender equality – an issue which will be dealt with across our six Priority Areas for Action

Another area which will receive greater attention is climate change – perhaps the most pressing issue facing poor countries today. Achieving the balance between the economic, social and environment pillar of sustainable development is now critical.

In addition, the new policy emphasises thatin our pursuit of poverty reduction, we need to attach greater importance to supporting inclusiveeconomic growthby promoting trade, jobs, the development of the private sector and the ability of developing countries to finance their own development.

Building on the agenda set by the Department’s Africa Strategy, we recognise that now is the time to engage in more rounded partnerships with Africa. A small but significant change in this regard is how we refer to countries we work closely with: these are no longer Programme Countries but Key Partner Countries.

Bearing in mind the different circumstance and stages of development in the 9 countries; where appropriate, we must seize the opportunity to increase trade and investment opportunities for Irish companies. Through the Department and our Embassies across Africa and Vietnam, and in close cooperation with Enterprise Ireland and other Agencies and business associations, we have committed ourselves to helping with the research, the networking and the groundwork that can identify and facilitate two-way trade and investment between Ireland and Africa.

As the Tánaiste said at the launch of this Policy, this will be good for our partner countries. And it will be good for us.

One World One Future – A Framework to change the way we do things

But moving beyond the Policy framework which governs what we do, One World, One Future also signals changes to the way we do things.

We are clear in this policy that aid alone will not solve the problems of poverty and hunger. For our part, our contribution is not just financial, through the assistance we provide. We have a strong voice on the international stage, which we will continue to use.

And we have in Ireland a clear capacity, in our people and in our institutions, which we will harness. We already have important partnerships with Irish Research institutions, the Irish Human Rights Commission and others, and in this newpolicy we signal a new Volunteering Initiative which we will bring to fruition over the coming months.

This initiative will modernise the way we support volunteering including the compilation of a database of volunteers to provide better quality information on potential placements, including with NGOs and the UNwhich will harness the experience of Irish people and institutions to the benefit of institutions in developing countries.

Importantly, the policy recognises strongly our ability to contribute to good development outcomes not just through our foreign policy, but also through policies right acrossGovernment. That is why this policy applies to all government Departments and commits to strengthening the whole-of-government approach. This will include improving the workings of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Development and with it, the submission of a biennial report to the Oireachtas on progress made in addressing policy incoherence and promoting greater collaboration across government.

One World One Future – Maximising our Impact

It must also be recognised, however, that this new policy has been formulated in very difficult circumstances in Ireland, and across Europe. And yet, in 2013, it still reflects a huge commitment by the Government to ensure overseas development assistance remains an important policy priority, and that this is reflected in annual budgetary allocations.

We have recognised fully that our spending on overseas aid must be fully transparent, providing maximum value for money and delivering positive results in the lives of those who it is targeting. Accountability will be central to this, and we have set out clearly in this policy who we are accountable to, and how.

In particular, we will also be encouraging an even greater partnership and oversight by the Oireachtas in all that we do – including through engagement with this Committee.

We will also continue to demand high standards from those who we channel aid funding through – NGOs, Multilateral Organisations, Key Partner Country Governments and others. In this regard, we will continue to work with partners who have a proven ability to deliver quality programmes and that deliver results for poor communities. Our partnership with Irish based NGOs, with Irish missionary groups and with Irish institutions including in the area of education, will remain an important dimension of the programme – and will have a particular emphasis on demonstrating value for money and delivering results.

We will also focus on increasing public engagement with the aid programme and in identifying ways by which the Diaspora groups from developing countries can contribute their knowledge and experiences in a manner which benefits the aid programme.

One World One Future – Implementation

Ladies and Gentlemen, the implementation of this policy will help us to focus on where we can make the most difference, and rationalising our efforts in that regard. Over the coming months, we will work on the implementation plans necessary to put our new policy into action.

With this new policy, we mark the beginning of a fresh chapter for Ireland in international development. We begin this chapter with the confidence that there is much to build on, and a strong commitment in Ireland, at all levels, to making a difference in the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable people that we work with.

Debrief of the Development segment of the Foreign Affairs Council

I will now turn to the Development segment of the Foreign Affairs Council which I attended in Brussels on 28th May.

The Development Council meets only once in each Presidency and so marks, to a large degree, the culmination of the Presidency’s efforts in the area of the international development cooperation.

It was with this in mind that we agreed with the High Representative, as Chair of the Council, to schedule the Development Council late in Ireland’s EU Council Presidency and to convene the meeting as a stand-alone half-day session on 28th May. This allowed Ireland, as EU Council Presidency, to work with the EEAS to prepare a substantive agenda for the meeting and provided EU Development Ministers with significantly more time to discuss agenda items in full.

Post-2015

The main issue in the international development agenda is what will replace the Millennium Development Goals, which were agreed in 2000 and which are due to expire in 2015. Establishing a new development framework is important and this is reflected in the intensity and range of discussions taking place across the world – in the European Union, at the High Level Panel appointed by the UN Secretary General, at the UN Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals and at the eleven thematic and over fifty country dialogues being organised by the UN across the world.

We identified at an early stage in our preparations for the Presidency that EU engagement in this global discussion was essential and that Ireland, as Presidency during this crucial period, would be well placed to shape and focus the EU’s position, particularly in relation to the UN Special Event on the Millennium Development Goals in September. The Special Event will be one of the last opportunities for international leaders to review progress being made in advance of the 2015 target date and will be a starting point for considering what will happen after 2015.

Working with the EU High Representative, the Irish Presidency negotiated a coherent and effective EU position on what a post 2015 framework might look like. The position was endorsed both by EU Development and Environment Ministers before finally being adopted this week at the General Affairs Council which is chaired by the Tánaiste. The EU position sets out the important building blocks that we as the EU consider essential for a robust and ambitious framework, while at the same time signalling that we are willing to engage with our partners to understand their views with the aim of working together to build consensus.

Implementation of the Agenda for Change

In May last year, the Development Council welcomed the new EU development policy proposed by the Commission – theAgenda for Change – and one year on, there was a review at Council on how the EU’s new policy has been implemented over the last year.

Discussions focused on a paper jointly prepared by the Commission and the EEAS which noted progress in accountability, the concentration of EU development assistance in programming, the next MFF period from 2014 to 2020 and budget support. The paper also noted that following discussions in partner countries EU joint programming will begin in an additional thirty-six countries, bringing to over forty the number of countries where EU joint programming will be operational before the end of 2016.

From the outset Ireland has been a strong supporter of the direction of theAgenda for Change and much of the provisions correlate closely with our own development policy, particularly the commitments to poverty eradication, tackling hunger, improving the effectiveness of our development assistance, a strong focus on human rights and ensuring that development assistance is focused on those most in need. I reaffirmed our continued support for the work of the Commission and the EEAS in implementing the Agenda for Change and also noted our continued commitment to EU joint programming and the requirement to ensure that EU development assistance is focused on those regions, countries and communities that are most in need.

Food and nutrition security

Tackling global hunger, and in particular the scourge of under nutrition, has been a central focus of the Irish Presidency. While, as a global community, we have made some good progress under the Millennium Development Goals, the reality is that one billion people still live in extreme poverty and 870 million people live with hunger. To highlight the interlinked challenges of hunger, under nutrition and the impact of climate change, the Tánaiste and former President Mary Robinson co-hosted a Conference focusing on how best to address these challenges in April.The Conference was attended by President Higgins, former US Vice-President Al Gore, the EU Development Commissioner, Andris Pieblags, other decision-makers from across the EU and UN and over 100 grass-roots representatives from across the developing world.

At the Development Council, Ministers adopted Conclusions that will help ensure that the EU and its Member States implement our policy commitments on under-nutrition and food insecurity and that we are held accountable for them. The Conclusions also endorsed the new EU Food and Nutrition Security Implementation Plan that was developed in close cooperation with Member States, including Ireland, and sets out how the EU and its Member States will deliver on and implement the policy priority commitments of the 2010 EU Food Security Policy, the new 2013 EU Nutrition Policy and other relevant EU external assistance policies, and translate these policy commitments into action over the period from 2014 to 2020.

Honouring our pledges will help us to ensure that we can realise the vision of a world free from hunger and under-nutrition in our lifetime, a world where all children get the chance to survive, grow, and reach their full potential.

Resilience

Throughout the course of our Presidency, Ireland has strived to promote better linkages between relief, recovery and development, and increase the focus on building the resilience of the most vulnerable individuals, families, communities and nations. The increasing frequency and intensity of disasters is a major threat to long-term development and to the economic progress of poor people in developing countries.

At the Development Council, these efforts culminated in the adoption of Conclusions on a new EU approach to building the resilience of the most vulnerable communities in the poorest developing countries that ensures closer collaboration between the EU’s humanitarian and development arms. As we see from the EU’s flagship resilience initiatives in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, a common approach is more effective than separate, fragmented approaches.

EU ODA

There was a brief discussion on EU development assistance targets where Commissioner Pieblags noted the downward trend in collective EU ODA level. This is the second year running that collective EU ODA has declined however it is important to note that despite the economic difficulties, the European Union collectively continues to deliver over 50% of global official development assistance to developing countries – a figure in excess of €55 billion in 2012.