04 October 2006
Dr. Henry: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Conor Lenihan, to the House. Like everyone else, I am delighted with the White Paper that he has produced. Perhaps I might begin by congratulating him on the energy and enthusiasm he has brought to the job. It is quite right that the Minister for Finance should have given him more funds to continue his work.
I am glad that he has recognised that this is not a party political issue and praised those who came before him. It is very nice to see that happen in the House, and I congratulate him on that. I also congratulate him on the fact that this was an in-house document rather than one produced by consultants employed by the Department. It was quite right to recognise the calibre of those in the Department of Foreign Affairs and their knowledge of foreign aid. I have met many people from the Department working abroad and been very impressed by their expertise and tact.
It is quite right that citizens should know how taxpayers daily help the world's poorest people through Irish Aid. It saves lives every day. It is right to use the word "taxpayers" rather than calling it "Government money", because it is the taxpayers who contribute. It is nice that we should acknowledge that they are doing all this. We can proudly recognise all those who have been involved in aid work abroad. The Army has rendered noble service in various places, and we have a very good foothold, as Senator Lydon mentioned, in the shape of the missionary work carried out in Africa in particular. Their achievements in health and education there were truly phenomenal, giving us a good start.
The European Union is the greatest giver of aid to the developing world. Taking into account EU and individual government contributions, we give €90 per citizen, compared with €50 and €55 from Japan and the United States, respectively. Although some countries have an imperialist past, Ireland did not have one, and neither did some others in Europe. However, they too feel their obligation to support development, and the Minister of State is quite right to stress how important that is.
It is also important to recognise that aid from Ireland is untied. I had the privilege of speaking on Capitol Hill to an audience including many Members of the House of Representatives and a few from the Senate. They did not realise how much of their aid is tied. It is important to give developing countries a chance to make their own decisions. Of course, we should monitor them, but they will never grow up and develop the ability to make decisions themselves unless they are given a chance. We cannot constantly decide what will be done with whatever moneys we send them.
It is only right that the UN millennium development goals be addressed here, given their importance. The first is the elimination of poverty and hunger. We have been extraordinarily good at buying locally if a country has a famine problem in one part, since frequently there is not a famine problem across the state. The prosperity of those in the region where there is grain or whatever for sale is helped enormously by our buying locally. Sometimes we must pay more for transport. Malnutrition is still the great killer of infants and small children in the developing world.
Universal education is the second UN millennium development goal, and we want both boys and girls to complete primary education. It is important to remember that primary education in developing countries does not always start at five and finish at 12. One can find children five years or more apart in the same class who have had to drop out of school occasionally for some reason.
Gender issues are addressed in the document, but with regard to education, the sexual rights of children and adolescents have not been emphasised sufficiently. If girls must make early marriages because of local tradition, and particularly if there is an early pregnancy, that is the end of their education. We know how difficult it can be to keep teenagers in education in this country if they become pregnant, but in developing countries it is impossible.
We cannot order behavioural changes but we can say to countries that we would like them to promote the enforcement of the legal age of marriage. In many countries it is 16, but one frequently sees girls of 11, 12 or 13 married off as a second or third wife to some much older man. That can be the end of any possibility of education; if she falls pregnant, that is definitely the case. In such early teenage pregnancies, the risk of the mother or her infant dying are twice as high as with an adult woman. I would like to see, therefore, mention of that inserted in the text.
We cannot impose policies on people, but we can certainly encourage them. We can also discourage the sugar daddy situation which was brought to my attention regarding both Uganda and Zambia. Girls become involved in sex with older men who pay for their school fees, uniforms and so on. That situation is deplorable, and we must recognise it and try to end it.
In the White Paper, the Minister of State has stated that budget supports are essential. As I said, we must encourage countries to monitor themselves as well as endeavour to do that remotely. The Minister of State is right to say that it is important that Members go abroad to examine projects. We did not come down in the last shower of rain, and we can assess progress. It is important that we encourage countries to involve civil society and promote their own non-governmental organisations.
The third UN millennium goal is the reduction of child mortality by two thirds. We mentioned malnutrition and the serious effect it can have on a child. However, malnutrition of the mother is equally serious. The World Health Organisation recommends that a child be breast fed until the age of two. While breast feeding reduces a woman's fertility, it does not prevent her becoming pregnant, and she may wish to space her children so that the infant can be breast fed until the age of two as recommended.
It is important she has access to family planning facilities. Abstention, if she wishes, is a possible option for not becoming pregnant but there should be available supplies of family planning methods if she wants to space her family.
We know 500,000 women die in childbirth every year in the world. A woman in Africa has a one in 16 chance of dying for reasons associated with pregnancy or childbirth, compared to a woman in the developed world who has a one in 4,000 chance of dying of similar causes. We must continue to support those maternal health areas in which we have been involved because they have been worthwhile. When one sees how these clinics operate in rural parts of Africa one recognises their importance.
A third of illness among women in the developing world is due to problems with sexual and reproductive health. Women frequently do not have much choice about sex in that part of the world and it is important this is recognised. I wish the Minister of State had said more about the prevention of AIDS/HIV in his paper. Every minute some 650 people become infected with HIV through sex. Prevention has to be promoted in the developing world. People have to be given information on why women become pregnant and men who know they are HIV positive should be warned of the even more serious consequences for women who are raped by men with the virus. Lesotho has a terrible record of AIDS/HIV transmission. Uganda, however, has made enormous progress in this area by promoting prevention. It is not just talking about abstention but also about promoting the use of condoms. We must ensure condoms are available as needed. I have heard the argument that female condoms should be made available to women in areas of conflict because rape may be a crime of war. That is not of much use to a woman who is HIV positive.
We are also tackling other communicable diseases, for example, malaria. It is interesting that the World Health Organisation has recommended the use of DDT in houses, which it has not recommended for some time. We are trying to prevent leprosy and the vaccination of children is incredibly important.
The fact the Minister of State has discussed environmental sustainability is also welcome. Perhaps we could become more involved in microeconomics in yet another area, as we have frequently with great imagination in developing countries. For example, the Minister of State will be aware that in these countries women frequently carry loads of sticks on their backs, having being out most of the morning breaking down small trees and gathering them to bring home to light fires. This is bad for the environment because breaking down all the small trees leads to deforestation and soil erosion. It is also a terrible waste of the woman's time when she could be doing something more productive. Such women spend a lot of time in a smoky atmosphere. I suggest we encourage the private sector to promote the use of solar ovens in those areas.
Finally, let us not be too hard on the recipient countries. Accountability is essential, but we must realise they cannot write reports all the time. Reports are much easier for us to write - perhaps we write too many. Accountability is important so that the stakeholders know where the money is being spent. In developing countries people frequently have to make difficult choices as to whether to invest in roads or school books. I am sure such decisions are much more difficult for them than for us and we should try to be as considerate as we possible when these issues arise.
I again congratulate the Minister of State on the splendid work he is doing.
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