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The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan T.D., and the Minister of State for Diaspora and International Development, Joe McHugh T.D., have announced that in Budget 2017, the Government is allocating €651 million for Official Development Assistance (ODA), an increase of €10 million on the 2016 allocation. €486 million of this will be managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the Irish Aid programme, with a further estimated €165 million coming from other Government Departments and Ireland’s share of the EU Development Co-operation budget.

Making the announcement, Minister Flanagan said:

“I am pleased to announce today that the Government is continuing to prioritise ODA by allocating an additional €10 million, bringing next year’s allocation to an estimated €651 million. This again represents a very substantial investment of public funds in Ireland’s Aid Programme and is a clear indication of our commitment to increase allocations in a sustainable manner as resources permit.

“I want to thank the Irish people for their continued support for our ODA programme, which is a cornerstone of our foreign policy. Through our development and humanitarian funding, we are able to provide assistance to the most vulnerable people in the world, whether through development projects in the poorest parts of Africa or in responding to more immediate humanitarian needs.

“In recent days, Minister McHugh and I approved the airlift of vital emergency relief supplies to the besieged city of Mosul in Iraq and to the people of Haiti in the aftermath of a violent hurricane. We announced further funding of €7.5 million for the Syrian people, which will bring our total humanitarian funding for Syrians since this horrific conflict began to €62 million by the end of this year.

“The Government has worked hard to sustain and maintain our funding for ODA in difficult times. Last year, we announced a significant increase in ODA funding of 7%, increasing spending across government to €641 million. This year, we have again increased the budget by an additional €10 million, bringing total Government funding to €651 million, of which €486 million will be managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.”

Minister of State McHugh said:

“Our ODA budget is targeted at reducing poverty and hunger, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where the needs are greatest. By supporting long term development and providing humanitarian assistance in over eighty countries on behalf of the Irish people, we are helping to build better futures for some of the world’s poorest communities. The Budget allocation of €651 million will enable Ireland to continue implementing a high quality aid programme, focused on the poorest countries in Africa, while responding generously to the unprecedented level of humanitarian suffering in the world today.

“I have seen Ireland’s aid programmes operating on the ground and I know the vital difference this funding can make in the lives of vulnerable people. I look forward to working with our partners to ensure that the funding allocated reaches those most in need.”

This is the second year running that ODA funding has been increased in the Budget.