Programme for Government - Letter to TDs

 Dear Deputy,

In a fast-changing and volatile world, Ireland has a confident identity on the international stage. Now, over a hundred years after the state was founded and with fifty years of EU membership, we have an opportunity to renew our moral, political, and economic standing internationally. 

Much has been achieved by our active participation in multilateral fora, including the United Nations Security Council, and by our central role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals. Our reputation as an ethical leader, and our overseas development assistance which strives to “reach the furthest behind first” is a crucial part of our identity on the world stage. Ireland’s success globally has been strengthened by our membership of the EU, our model of foreign direct investment and the hinterland of our diaspora. 

Looking ahead to the mid-21st century, we must build on that and move on. Globalisation and climate change mean that previously far horizons are coming closer. The EU which is central to our positioning will require its members to do more in a changed environment. We cannot stand still, and expect the world to stay the same. Our opportunity is to deepen our long standing and deeply believed-in commitment to overseas development. It is the right thing for the world, and the logical next step for a small country which has successfully developed and needs to maintain an outsize footprint globally. 

In the Programme for Government 2025-2030, and for the decades after, Dóchas, the Irish network of development and humanitarian organisations, calls for an ambitious plan on the world stage based on our core values. We must uphold our principles in the world, develop our positive presence in Africa and reinforce our strong humanitarian leadership within the multilateral systems which has earned us such respect. But we must also modernise that tradition, adding our smart strategic knowledge, providing the solutions to climate change, eradicating hunger, insisting that international law is upheld and justice is done. This aligns what we should do for others with what we can do for ourselves. 

Irish civil society, represented by respected development and humanitarian non-governmental organisations, is a key part of Ireland’s presence on the world stage. In the Programme for Government, 2025-2030, we call on the Government and the Oireachtas to empower us in our global role by endorsing our key manifesto recommendations unequivocally. 

They are to:

· Realise Ireland’s commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on Overseas Development Assistance by 2030 and publish a clear spending pathway to achieve 0.7% GNI by 2030.
· Provide transformational climate finance that meets our vision and values.

And, furthermore, to realise our manifesto recommendations on:

· Effective and Inclusive Development
· Climate Action
· Hunger
· Peace, Stability & Humanitarian Response
· Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development (PCSD)

In our research for this election, we have found that Irish people actively support our role – almost one in five households across Ireland donates money to an international development and humanitarian organisation, while 76% of Irish people support giving overseas development assistance. We ask that the next Programme for Government confidently asserts that position.

Yours sincerely,

Jane-Ann McKenna | Chief Executive Officer | Dóchas