Launch of the Government’s Official Development Assistance Annual Report 2018
Press release
02 October 2019The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, T.D., together with the Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, Ciarán Cannon, T.D., will launch the 2018 Annual Report on Ireland’s Official Development Assistance on Wednesday 2 October 2019.
Speaking in advance of this launch, the Tánaiste, Minister Coveney said:
“The world is facing some generation-defining challenges, including addressing climate change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Ireland’s official development assistance programme is a crucial component of our ability to shape and influence how these challenges are addressed, and underpins why the Government remains committed to reaching the internationally agreed target of 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income by 2030. The 2018 Annual Report on our Official Development Assistance sets out the detail of our work and how we are helping to transform the lives of millions of people. The excellence of Ireland’s official development assistance programme was recognised just last week when, for the second year running, the Overseas Development Institute, an independent international think tank, found us to be the most effective donor addressing extreme poverty. We do that by working with partners in civil society, the UN, and the EU, as well as through our network of Irish Embassies abroad.”
The 2018 report will have a particular focus on Ireland’s work on education. Speaking ahead of the launch, Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development, Ciarán Cannon, T.D., said:
“Ireland understands the importance of education. Investment in quality education has been a crucial aspect of Ireland’s own development story, as we developed from a country of need and emigration, to a thriving knowledge economy. It has also been an experience that we have shared with others, and a key component of our development work for decades. The positive influence of Irish educators abroad in giving leaders the capacity to lead and develop their countries is remarkable, and really makes a difference. That is why it remains a key element of Ireland’s international development policy, A Better World, and why Ireland has pledged to invest at least €250 million in education over the next five years.”
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