Welcome to the Irish Aid website.

Irish Aid is the Irish Government’s programme of assistance to developing countries. In 2008 Ireland's total Official Development Assistance Budget will be €914 million, making Ireland one of the world's most generous per capita donors. In the recent OECD peer review, Ireland received a very favourable report. We are very much perceived to be at the cutting edge of best development practice by our peers in other donor countries.

By any standards this is a huge commitment to assisting some of the least developed countries and poorest people in the world and is a clear expression of our values as a people and as a country.

While it is often the dramatic emergencies that gain much of the coverage in the media and elsewhere, it is clear that these humanitarian crises nearly always occur against a backdrop of chronic poverty.

At the core of the Irish Aid programme is the ongoing and difficult job of tackling the underlying causes of poverty and suffering. The primary regional focus of the programme is with our nine programme countries; seven in Africa (Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia) and Timor-Leste and Vietnam. As you look through the website you will see how we work in these countries and others. You will also gain an understanding of the key development challenges facing most of these countries and the ways in which Irish Aid is assisting in tackling these challenges.

I very much hope that you find this web resource useful and informative. For Irish Aid this is an important tool for increasing public understanding of the values and principles underpinning Ireland’s development cooperation programme and a valuable resource for those interested in development and the challenge of global inequality.

Kind regards,

Mr. Peter Power T.D.
Minister of State for Overseas Development at the Department of Foreign Affairs.