In 2015, Ireland committed to reaching the UN target of spending 0.7% GNI on Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 2030. In 2023, we reached 0.32% GNI excluding in-country refugee costs. The next Government should fulfil our commitment to fund development, humanitarian and climate budgets by creating a clear pathway to achieve this, and account for any costs incurred in responding to the needs of refugees in Ireland as additional expenditure.
In the next programme for government, we must:
- Realise Ireland’s commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on Overseas Development Assistance by 2030
- Publish a clear spending pathway to achieve 0.7% GNI by 2030
Ireland’s core values are working for peace, human rights, sustainable development and providing life-saving humanitarian assistance. Our values must be matched by our commitments, and our ability to deliver upon them.
Dóchas wants to see the following measures in the next Programme for Government:
1. Effective and Inclusive Development
Dóchas members and their local partners are supporting communities to address their own development needs and realise their rights. However, the percentage of Irish ODA that is provided to civil society organisations has reduced year-on-year since 2020. It is essential that we fund and support civil society organisations who can deliver effective community-led solutions and are on the frontline of response.
• Commit to providing at least 30% of Ireland’s ODA to and through civil society across humanitarian, development and climate programmes and funding
• Target ODA effectively by prioritising funding to locally-led organisations which focus on realising the rights of the most marginalised, including women, children and people with disabilities
• Ensure that the empowerment of women, minorities, children and people with disabilities is mainstreamed into all ODA policies and programmes
• Ensure all our ODA upholds humanitarian and human rights principles and promotes human development at the centre of EU ODA policy-making and funding
• Make Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Response a priority, ensuring it is integrated across policies and adequately financed
• Ensure the protection of civil society space both at home and abroad
2. Climate Action
Despite an increase in finance over the past three years, Ireland falls significantly short in delivering upon our ‘fair share’ of climate finance and Loss and Damage funding. A transformative climate agenda that reflects our principles and values, and reaches people and communities on the frontline of the climate crisis across the world, is needed.
• Provide transformational climate finance that:
— Meets our ‘fair share’ per annum (at least €500m in 2024 and set to increase under the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG))
— Is new and additional to 0.7% GNI ODA as required under UNFCCC rules
— Is given in grants and not loans
— Is gender-sensitive, rights-based, inclusive and locally-led
— Introduces new and innovative financial instruments including global taxes on polluters
• Publish a clear pathway for financial support to the Loss and Damage Fund
• Reduce polluting emissions across all sectors and phase out fossil fuels in accordance with Paris Agreement commitments and national climate action legislation
• Address the billions in bonds and shares flowing through Ireland’s FDI to fossil fuel industries and agribusiness in the Global South, as recommended by the UN International Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, and amend the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act to achieve this.
3. End Hunger for People and Planet
Conflict, inequality, climate change, combined with a dysfunctional global food system, has meant that hunger and malnutrition has grown to devastating levels - affecting 700 million people. Ireland has a strong legacy in leading the fight against global hunger and we need to demonstrate this in our funding commitments over the next five years.
• Champion sustainable food systems by leading on global reforms to regulate prices, break monopolies, reduce debt and support just transitions
• Advocate for fair and equitable trade arrangements that enable countries in the Global South to pursue their own paths to food security and support local farmers and small producers
• Deliver on Ireland’s pledge of €800m over five years to support nutrition and prevent food insecurity, ensuring that this commitment is fully allocated and effectively targeted to the most vulnerable populations,
particularly in fragile and conflict-affected regions
• Elevate Ireland’s leadership at the 2025 Nutrition for Growth Summit by announcing an increased commitment to tackling hunger with a focus on innovative, long-term solutions that address child wasting, build climate-resilient food systems and strengthen multilateral partnerships for sustainable impact
4. Promote peace, stability and effective humanitarian response
Against a backdrop of over 120 armed conflicts worldwide, the ‘rules of war’, including the protection of civilians, are rapidly being eroded and ignored. As we mark the 75th Anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, we must ensure that Ireland is at the forefront of promoting peace, stability and protection for those caught in conflict.
• Champion International Humanitarian Law (IHL), also known as the rules of war, across all contexts including the protection of civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian workers
• Lead efforts to highlight the importance of respect for IHL at the UN and the EU, and ensure compliance with all IHL treaty obligations
• Oppose the development and use of new and devastating weapons of war, and support accountability mechanisms which deliver justice to victims of war crimes
5. Policy coherence for sustainable development
Ireland’s role in reaching the ‘furthest behind first’ through our ODA programme and our commitment
to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is crucial. However, we need to proactively address our development policy’s coherence with other government policies, ensuring that our commitment to sustainable development, human rights, and ending structural inequalities is effective across government.
• Develop a robust cross-government mechanism for policy coherence for sustainable development (PCSD) with effective oversight by the Oireachtas
• Conduct new, independent and comprehensive ‘spill-over analyses’ assessing the human rights and environmental impacts of Ireland’s tax and agri-food policies
• Support the development of the proposed UN Tax Convention to design a fairer international tax system and tackle tax avoidance
• Prioritise PCSD and ensure its effective implementation through the establishment of an Irish Commission for the Future
• Enforce legislation in Business and Human Rights whilst applying a human rights-based approach and ensuring policy coherence
• Fulfil our commitment to Global Citizenship Education in Ireland by prioritising increased investment and taking a cross-departmental approach
To read our full manifesto click here