Irish Aid’s core mandate is poverty reduction. Based on its own experience, and that of others, Irish Aid has identified four priority issues integral to poverty reduction, where attention must focus in order to increase the impact of poverty reduction, development effectiveness and quality assurance. These priority issues are: Gender Equality, HIV/AIDS, Environmental Sustainability and Good Governance.

In addition to addressing each of these issues through specific evidence based programme interventions, the White Paper on Irish Aid commits the organisation to mainstreaming these four priority issues `in the planning, implementation and evaluation of all of our interventions’.

Mainstreaming is a strategy that seeks to incorporate the priority issues into all aspects of Irish Aid’s work. Senior Management approved the first ever Irish Aid Mainstreaming Strategy in late February 2007. This strategy aims to increase the effectiveness of Irish Aid at all levels in advancing gender equality, good governance, environmental sustainability and combating HIV/AIDS. Building on prior work over the last three years, both at HQ and within programme countries, and guided by best practice, the strategy outlines Irish Aid’s approach to incorporating the four priority issues in its development work over a two-year time frame 2007-2009.