Ireland's Foreign Aid in 2019

Abstract

This paper reviews some aspects of Ireland's official development assistance (ODA) programme in 2019. It begins with an overview of the global context for development and aid last year, which is described as one of growing uncertainty that turned into global collapse. The topics covered in this year's review include: the impacts to date of the Covid-19 pandemic on global growth, global trade and global investment, as well as the increase in poverty and debt in developing countries; an overview of total ODA flows from DAC donors in 2019; a survey of attitudes of European donors, including Ireland, to the provision of ODA in 2019; the DAC peer review of Irish aid published early in 2020; an overview of some global development indices; and a description of some new approaches being adopted by the European Union in its aid policies and programmes. Preliminary data for total Irish ODA in 2019 was published in the DAC's preliminary ODA communication in April 2020. Total Irish ODA for last year on a grant-equivalent basis was US$935 million (roughly €832 million). This equals 0.31% of GNI; the same as in 2018. Irish Aid was unable to meet the DAC's annual deadline of mid-July for reporting to it, and so was also unable to provide a detailed breakdown of these data for this review. Indeed, in recognition of delays in the production of 2019 data by many DAC donors, because of difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic this year, the DAC has acknowledged that it anticipates data returns will be very late. As a result of data not being available, it is not possible to present the usual comparison tables in the review this year.