Act Now on 2015
VSO isn’t just about volunteering overseas – we’re also about helping individuals and communities to make a difference right here in Ireland.
VSO says ‘Act NOW on 2015': Deliver on Ireland's aid promise
VSO wants the Irish government to continue the current funding for overseas development, so we reach the United Nations Official Development Assistance (ODA) target for overseas aid of 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) by 2015.
Ireland has received overwhelming praise internationally for its aid programme. By making development cooperation one of the corner stones of our foreign policy, Ireland has shown that small countries can have a significant impact on international politics. However, since July 2008, the Irish government has cut development funding by 22 per cent. This drastically affects the lives of women, children and vulnerable people that VSO and other charities are working with in the developing world.
Ireland is reneging on its ODA commitments
At the UN Millennium Review Summit in 2005, the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern publicly committed Ireland to reaching the UN target for spending 0.7 per cent of of our gross national product (GNP) on overseas aid by 2012.
The government set interim targets “against which our progress towards the targets can be measured”. The target set for 2015 is 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI).
Due to massive and unprecedented cuts to the budget, Ireland’s aid expenditure has fallen well short of the target and reach only 0.48 per cent of GNI.
Ireland’s overseas aid budget has been cut by:
€45 million in July 2008
€15 million in October 2008
€95 million in February 2009
€100 million in April 2009.
You too can remind the government to meet its commitments on the Millennium Development Goals by visiting www.actnow2015.ie
