The debate provided an interesting insight into political, and public, attitudes to overseas aid:

• Senator Mark Daly (FF) quoted an MRBI opinion poll that shows that 88% of people in Ireland are proud of Ireland’s development aid programme. But he queried why such a large proportion of Ireland’s ODA is channelled through multilateral organisations.

“I proposed that at the very least, the interest we are being charged on the €600 million we are borrowing for our overseas aid programme should be taken into account when we are giving it back to European Union institutions.”

• Fine Gael’s Senator Michael Mullins quoted Dóchas’ Director and welcomed the Government’s emphasis on transparency, accountability and climate change.

“Although we face significant economic difficulties, the majority of Irish people want the Government to provide aid to the world’s poorest people, but they want taxpayers’ money to be spent effectively and to be accounted for properly.”

• Senator Lorraine Higgins (Labour) emphasised that Ireland’s economic future is linked to our exports, and welcomed the Policy’s focus volunteering, transparency and sustainability.

“I recognise the important role it plays on humanitarian grounds but also the significant part it plays in keeping Ireland’s international reputation right up there among the greatest benevolent countries in the world. We, the Irish people, should be incredibly proud of our achievements and the difference we are making in the lives of thousands, if not millions, of the world’s poorest people.”

“The effect of our commitment to development issues cannot be underestimated when it comes to building political capital with other countries worldwide.”

• Senator Mary Ann O’Brien (Ind) wondered if Ireland could afford to be a leader among EU member states when it comes to aid quantity.

“I propose that we reduce the allocation of €600 million temporarily until we achieve economic stability but increase our sharing of our knowledge, technical brilliance and expertise.”

• Independent Senator Feargal Quinn combined a reflection on ways to increase the effectiveness of aid with a suggestion that more aid should be dedicated to investment in businesses.

“I congratulate the Minister of State on what he is doing and I urge that we hold our resolve and maintain the standards we have reached.”

• Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill (FF) said that developing countries are poor because of corruption and Ireland cannot afford to continue to give aid, especially as there is evidence that the aid is not well spent.

“Western countries are reducing aid going to foreign countries because of the lack of dividend being obtained in those donor countries.”

• Senator David Cullinane (SF) made a passionate case for why Ireland must continue to address global poverty, through aid and other policies. He also asked what the Government was doing to promote greater collaboration among aid agencies.

“There is a responsibility on us, notwithstanding the considerable problems and the economic crisis in the State, to maintain the levels of funding for international aid while looking to ensure, for example, that there are more progressive taxation systems to look after, as was the previous speaker put, ‘our own’.”

“We all are conscious of the significant inequalities and injustices which exist in the world, and the considerable poverty and deprivation which exists in the poorer parts of the world, and international development is a crucially important area. Many of these inequalities are not historical legacies. They also are structural and, ultimately, it will take considerable domestic political changes in many countries and internationally to tackle such inequalities.”

• Senator Terry Brennan (FG) spoke of the links between Louth and Malawi  and the work the County Council has done without spending money on overheads.

“I appeal to [the Minister] to do his best to maintain the levels of funding provided to less developed and poorer countries.”

The 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid placed the fight against world poverty at the heart of Ireland’s foreign policy and set out the guiding principles of the aid programme. A Review of the White Paper was announced in June 2011 and its terms of reference included examination of the progress made by Irish Aid, and the changing national and international context.

There are a number of strands to the debate on overseas assistance – including whether such a small, heavily indebted nation as Ireland should be devoting apparently so much money to the developing world in these times of unprecedented economic challenges at home.

It is therefore instructive to step back and take a dispassionate view, with an eye on the facts, and to understand the bigger, longer-term picture of Ireland’s role in overseas assistance and the potential benefits to the country as the world economic order changes during the century ahead.  For example, some of the fastest growing economies in the world with strong development potential are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The form of overseas assistance most commonly discussed in the media is Overseas Development Assistance (ODA).  This is official assistance to developing countries channelled through government (i.e. from taxpayers).  ODA forms the basis of the United Nations’ target for developed countries to donate 0.7% of their gross national income to developing countries by 2015.  However, of the 23 largest aid donating countries in the world, which include Ireland, only five achieved this threshold in 2011 – Sweden (1.02%), Norway (1%), Luxembourg (0.99%), Denmark (0.86%) and The Netherlands (0.75%).

The corresponding figure for Ireland was 0.51%, ahead of the figure for all developed countries (0.31%) but still short of the 0.7% target in 2015.  In absolute terms, Ireland’s ODA amounted to €639m last year, or less than 1% of general government expenditure.  The amount is down substantially on the figure in 2008, reflecting the economic crisis.

It seems unlikely that Ireland, or most other developed countries, will meet the 0.7% target by 2015, which may be pushed back to a later year (again) or re-considered (the UN Millennium Development Goals were recently discussed at the world hunger conference in Dublin).

Nevertheless, there is another form of assistance to the developing world and one which no other developed country comes close to Ireland relative to gross national income – a fact that is little-known.  The specific aid in question is termed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (which compiles the data) as ‘Gross Outflow from Private Sources’ and basically constitutes aid from Irish residents (of their own free will) to the developing world, in which non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play a key role in the channelling process.

The ratio of Gross Outflow from Private Sources to gross national income was highest among the world’s principal aid donating countries in Ireland, where we attained a ratio of 0.22% in 2011, equivalent to roughly €300m.  The corresponding figure for the total of the aid-donating countries was 0.07% (there is no UN target for this form of overseas assistance).  Ireland has led the international league table in this regard for many years and the 0.22% figure achieved in 2011 represented an increase on the 0.18% and 0.16% observed in 2010 and 2009 respectively, in turn illustrating the generosity of the Irish people even in these most austere times and remembering that this non-official aid is given by choice.

Looking at the bigger picture, Ireland’s commitment to overseas assistance over many decades (from both official and private sources) can be viewed as a further manifestation of the country’s openness, which has earned for Ireland significant ‘goodwill’ internationally.  Through its overseas assistance networks across the developing world, Ireland is well-positioned in respect of realising new trade and investment opportunities likely to emerge in the years and decades to come, as the world economic order changes and newly emerging markets become more apparent.

These opportunities are being recognised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and by NGOs, who together are beginning to lay the foundations for a more economically mature relationship between Ireland and developing countries having the potential to benefit all concerned.  The traditional donor-recipient model of the past is coming under review and greater recognition is being given to partnership-based approaches based on economic impacts at home as well as abroad.

Initiatives in this regard include the Africa-Ireland Economic Forum and Winning Business in Africa, which estimates opportunities totalling €12 billion for Irish firms over the next five years.  The most significant opportunities for Ireland are expected to occur in agri-food, consumer products and infrastructure – sectors in which Ireland possesses comparative advantages internationally and which can help Irish entrepreneurs to create and sustain jobs at home.

The business case for a more mature relationship between Ireland and the developing world is strong.  The generosity of Ireland and its residents puts it in a strong position to realise the opportunities now presenting themselves.  Reducing assistance, whether official or private, in the short-term may prove myopic and counter-productive when the bigger, longer-term picture of the changing world economic order suggests otherwise.  Perhaps this is what Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates had in mind on his recent visit to Ireland when he expressed hope that EU countries would not cut their overseas assistance budgets.

* Dr. Pat McCloughan‘s full economic commentary on this topic, entitled Thinking Strategically about Overseas Assistance, is available at www.pmca.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/May-2013.pdf

** Dr. Pat McCloughan is Managing Director of PMCA Economic Consulting and the views expressed in this article are his own and not necessarily those of PMCA Economic Consulting.

On 2 May, Dóchas hosted a conference entitled “Initiate – Transparency In Action“.

The idea behind the conference was to bring NGOs, academia, and Irish Aid representatives together to learn  how the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) could help further strengthen transparency and Accountability in the sector.

IATI is not just for geeks, and it is not just about information and data – it’s about better development. In the words of APC Colombia, “An investment in better information is an investment in better development”.

Dóchas has long argued that NGOs’ main asset is the trust in which members of the public hold them. And that trust must be earned and protected. For us, transparency is a key ingredient in NGO accountability, which in turn is the key ingredient in our quest for ever greater impact.

For this reason, we have argued that NGOs need to set standards for their work  and to ensure that these standards are applied across the sector.

And we welcome the Government’s plans to finally implement the 2009 Charities Regulation Act and made a submission on behalf of Dóchas members. After all, if NGOs are calling on governments to be more accountable, for international retailers to have transparent and for ethical supply chains, then we as NGOs also need to ensure that we are doing everything we can to be transparent and accountable.

IATI’s first annual report is the latest milestone on its journey to helping us transform aid transparency. It started with a mantra of ‘publish what you can’. But many donors have risen to, and exceeded, the challenge, often publishing more and better data through IATI than they were previously making available publicly.

On 2 May, Dóchas committed to putting transparency into action and that we will publish to IATI standards by the end of the year. We also committed to working in the spirit of partnership with Dóchas member organisations and Irish Aid – to learn from each other, and from peers in UK/ Netherlands and beyond, as to what works and what doesn’t and to exchange best practice and experience.

We filmed the Dóchas staff, as they were writing this article:

Filed under: NGOs Tagged: Animated gifs, Cartoons, Going Mad, Humour, research ]]> http://dochasnetwork.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/dochas-staff-writing-blog-posts/feed/ 1 dochasnetwork Counting the words Going Mad Clint http://dochasnetwork.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/irelands-new-development-policy-a-word-count-analysis/ http://dochasnetwork.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/irelands-new-development-policy-a-word-count-analysis/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 15:10:51 +0000 Dóchas http://dochasnetwork.wordpress.com/?p=2094 ]]> On 2 May, the Irish Government published its new Policy on International Development.

The paper is the result of a wide-ranging review process, aimed at updating the 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid, which formed the basis for Ireland’s development cooperation programme. During the review process, some 165 submissions were received, and over 100 meetings took place.

You can read the submissions from Dóchas members and other NGOs here, and Dóchas’ initial response to the new Policy here.

Clearly, more analysis of the new Policy is needed, but we have already done a quick word count of the new paper. Though not a proven scientific method for policy analysis, word counts do give some indication of the extent to which certain issues are addressed within a document.

In the table below, we compare the relative frequency of use of some key words, in both the 2006 White Paper and the 2013 Development Policy.

The 2006 paper was a good bit bigger, at 37,000 words compared to 15,000 words for the 2013 version. Therefore, if a word was used, say, 30 times in 2006, it would carry less of a relative weight than if that same words was used 30 times in the 2013 paper. In our figures, we have compensated for these differences, and this quick analysis shows a few interesting trends:

Obviously, the results need to be taken with a few doses of salt, as the frequency of word use does not mean that the topic is prioritised more. However, the table above does illustrate nicely that there are a few new words that have come into “development speak” since 2006. Particularly the increased emphasis on Learning, Transparency and Impact are of interest, as is the much greater emphasis on economic growth. On the other hand, HIV & AIDS seems to be on the way out.

Our analysis of the new Development Policy is still under way, and we would welcome your comments and observations on the paper.

Do have a read of the new Policy, and watch the short animated video.

And then send us your comments!

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Further reading:

• Progressio Ireland response to the new Development Policy (May 2013)
• Irish NGOs ready for Review of White Paper
• Reviewing Ireland’s development policy – the major issues

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(Click here to see exclusive footage of Dóchas staff writing the above article)

One of the major events taking place during the 2013 Irish EU Presidency was a high level international meeting on urban poverty.

Many Dóchas members supported this meeting in the realisation that urbanisation is posing major challenges for everyone interested in sustainable development. Cities are where people are concentrated and where some of the greatest challenges about sustainability, equality, employment and infrastructure can be found.

(See our list of resources about Cities, Sustainability and Poverty).

The 21st century disaster will be an urban one.

In 2008 the world marked the moment in history where more people lived in urban centers than outside of them. “Drawn to economic, educational, and social opportunities, the migration towards cities is undeniable and irreversible.”

At the same time, people doing research into these matters are showing us that the number of disasters – and the number of people affected by those disasters – is on the rise. The number of reported natural disasters has risen from 78 in 1970 to 348 in 2004. (Check the stats for yourself in this interactive database)

In the 19th and 20th centuries, natural disasters disproportionately affected rural areas, and aid agencies developed the tools and skills to respond to them as well as they could. But in the 21st century, with people concentrated in urban centers and our vulnerability to disasters increasing, the bulk of the damage done by floods, earthquakes and tsunamis is more likely to affect urban areas.

Lessons for the future

“The rising costs and economic impact of urban disasters, while concerning, are leading to some positive outcomes. The staggering costs of rebuilding and the economic losses associated with urban disasters are leading many governments to focus additional resources on disaster preparedness and mitigation activities,” says Courtney Brown in this article.

His colleague David Weiss said:

“The 20th century image of relief agencies driving trucks through dusty landscapes and throwing branded sacks of food and water to starving families will gradually fade from our television screens and disappear from our newspapers. In the urban disaster, food and water will come from proximate, less affected markets, as the urban economy shifts and adjusts to the shock of the disaster and vendors find new suppliers. The agro-pastoralist with his starving livestock will be seen less frequently; the impacted citizen may be a plumber, a taxi driver or a day-laborer. And flooded rivers will not destroy just farmland; we will see images of drowned slums and residents paddling boats between roofs and floating cars.”

A recent report by the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee found ten lessons for responding to urban disasters:

1. Work with and through municipalities wherever possible.
2. Find and use neighbourhood networks and capacities.
3. Work with the local private sector and don’t compete unfairly.
4. Focus on long term homes, not short term shelter.
5. Keep people in or close to their neighbourhoods, if safe.
6. Assume skills and resources can be found locally.
7. Assume fast changing environments and have an exit strategy.
8. Use cash to stimulate markets.
9. Use the right tools for working with complex sets of stakeholders.
10. Prepare now for the next big urban disaster.

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Also read:

• Lessons learned from the Pakistan flood
• Lessons learned from responding to droughts

Many EU Member States are off track to meet their targets.

The OECD reported that aid from the 15 EU Member States that are DAC members was $63.8 billion in 2012, representing a fall of 7.3% from 2011. NGOs pointed out that this was the second year in a row that EU aid was falling.

Responding to the figures, Dóchas said that aid is crucial to the world achieving the MDGs, helping people in poor countries to realise their basic rights to food, education and healthcare.

In releasing the aid statistics, the OECD noted that “maintaining aid is not impossible even in today’s fiscal climate. The UK’s 2013-14 budget increases its aid to 0.7% of national income, which gives hope that we can reverse the falling trend,” and urged other countries to increase their aid as soon as their budget circumstances allow.

Meanwhile, the UK announced that it would meet the UN’s 0.7% target.

The Irish Government is set to publish its new White Paper on overseas aid in early May, and one of the key tests, say NGOs, is what it will say about the quantity of Irish aid. (see e.g. this submission by Dóchas)

For more information, visit www.ActNow2015.ie

Research shows 8 out of 10 people in Ireland support the 0.7% promise.

In early April, news media reported on the first results of a major research project by the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. This project revealed deliberate tax dodging by a wide range of wealthy individuals, using the same tactics as a large number of global companies.

Also the OECD warned that the ease with which multinationals escape the tax authorities endangers governments’ income sources, and undermining their ability to recover from the financial crisis.

James Henry, a former chief economist at McKinsey has estimated that wealthy individuals and multinationals may have kept as much as $32 trillion from tax collectors globally   (see also this BBC article).

This is money deliberately withheld from governments, depriving countries around the world from crucial revenue and leading to the impoverishment of hundreds of millions of people in developing countries.

Christian Aid has found that, by reporting just a fraction of the profits they make in developing countries, multinationals reduce their tax bills to developing country governments by $160bn. In short, tax evasion by multinationals is leaving poor countries needlessly dependent on foreign aid and with fewer options to invest in services for poor people.

The Socialist and Democrat party in the European Parliament found that tax evasion within the EU amounts to some €860 billion a year.

The secrecy on which tax dodging relies must end. And the EU seems to agree. On 9 April, EU member states adopted new guidelines on the extractive industries that will require European oil, gas, mining and logging companies to publish what they pay governments around the world for natural resources. This is a landmark step towards greater corporate transparency. The next step should be to extend this agreement to focus on other industries that have a major impact on developing country economies – such as telecommunications and construction. And to include more financial information, for a fuller picture on corporate tax dodging.

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Also read:

• Calling tax-dodgers to account
• On the right road to tax transparency
• Irish NGOs manifesto on how the Irish EU Presidency can help end tax dodging
• IF campaign info on tax dodging
• The end of offshore banking in Europe?
• Tax justice for sustainable development

We won’t go into those discussions, but will limit ourselves to an anthology of articles on the Iron Lady’s influence on global development.

So far, we have found these very interesting articles:

• Africa: Mrs Thatcher and the Continent  (AllAfrica.com)
• The Iron Lady’s legacy on international development (DevEx)
• Mrs. Thatcher and Africa (AfricanArguments.org)
• Margaret Thatcher: No fond farewells from Africa (Guardian)
• No, Africans don’t remember Margaret Thatcher fondly (Africa Is A Country)

• Thatcher’s role in “saving Nelson Mandela” (BBC)
• South Africans remain divided: Did Thatcher help or hinder the demise of Apartheid? (Washington Post)
• Thatcher wrong on Apartheid, Mandela, South Africa says (Globe and Mail)
• Remembering Thatcher’s Nigeria visit in 1988 (Vanguard)
• Margaret Thatcher receives critical eulogy from South Africa (Huffington Post)
• Zimbabweans react to Thatcher’s death (SW Radio Africa)
• Nyerere letter to Margaret Thatcher (1982)

• How Margaret Thatcher made the Conservative case for Climate Action (Mother Jones)
• Margaret Thatcher’s climate change of heart (Huffington Post)
• Was Margaret Thatcher the first climate sceptic? (Telegraph)
• Thatcher’s foreign policy legacy (Chatham House)
• Margaret Thatcher’s Foreign Policy: Was the Iron Lady on the Wrong Side of History? (Time)
• Top 10 ways Margaret Thatcher’s policies made our world more unequal (Informed Comment)

• China lauds “Thatcher’s Biggest Compromise” over Hong Kong (Channel News Asia)
• China sings the Iron Lady’s praises (Global Voices)
• Argentina ‘will not shed a tear’ (Telegraph)
• Margaret Thatcher and Israel (Haaretz)
• Margaret Thatcher’s lasting legacy in the Middle East (BBC)