Ireland and UNDP

Thematic priorities

Gender, the environment, governance and HIV/AIDS are known as cross-cutting areas, which means that they are taken into account at every stage of Ireland's interventions, whether it is planning, implementation or evaluation.

Reducing poverty via health, education and food security

Ireland is fully committed to helping developing countries achieve the first Millennium Development Goal (reducting poverty by half by the year 2015). In doing so, it focuses on nutrition, sanitation, access to clean water, as well as education, which is crucial to the development of a solid health system.

In Ethiopia for example, the Safety Nets Programme gives about 7 million of the poorest Ethiopians cash or food for their work. The programme also serves to irrigate land, as well as build and maintain rural roads, schools and infrastructure. Ireland gave € 5 million to the trust fund that administers the programme and will continue to finance the initiative.

The Irish private sector has also been very active. In Gabon, a concession was awarded to a consortium made up of France's Vivendi and the Electricity Supply Board of Ireland for the management and operation of the country's water and energy facilities.

Preventing and responding to humanitarian emergencies, promoting peace and security

Ireland supports the coordinating role of the United Nations as well as the government of countries affected by war or natural disaster. In doing so, it not only helps respond to humanitarian emergencies but also develop long-term development plans for the recovery of livelihoods.

For instance, Ireland has contributed to basic humanitarian relief and recovery activities carried out by the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). The Trust Fund is managed by the World Bank and provides a coordinated way for donors to help the Government of Afghanistan rebuild the country.

Following the 2004 tsunami, it has also contributed to disaster relief among the communities of Southeast Asia, with projects such as Capacity-building for reconstruction (Indonesia), and Livelihoods for recovery (Sri Lanka).

As of October 2006, Ireland had also provided €9 million for the relief and recovery effort.

Drawing from its own political, diplomatic and aid history, Ireland is also working in the areas of conflict-prevention and resolution and peace-building. For instance, Ireland is a contributor to the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, which is administered by UNDP.

Building better governments and fighting corruption

Improving governance, reducing corruption and building democracy and accountability are an integral part of the joint work of UNDP and the government of Ireland. Irish Aid has been helping UNDP to build legal and independent judicial systems as well as implement free and fair elections in developing countries.

For instance Irish Aid has been working with UNDP to strengthen the Timor-Leste Civil Service and organize the 2007 national elections after signing a cost-sharing agreement totalling € 2.55 million.

Also, in 2006, Irish Aid provided € 1.3 million to assist the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which held its first multi-party elections since independence in 1960.

Fighting HIV/AIDS and other diseases

Ireland has prioritized the fight against HIV/AIDS, which is fundamental to poverty reduction given that AIDS erodes the capacity of people to be productive. It has been helping programme countries to integrate HIV into their economic and development planning, as well as supporting prevention and treatment programmes, whether implemented by governments or national and international civil society organizations.

For instance, UNDP and Ireland have been strengthening Zambia’s capacity to build up a multisectoral, bottom-up HIV/AIDS response. The funds have beem used primarily to build capacity for HIV/AIDS planning at the district level.

Ireland has also financed ISHI (meaning “live” in Swahili), a sports-centered campaign led by UNDP that has promoted awareness among Tanzania's youth. Since 2001, ISHI has spread across the 26 regions of Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.

Supporting a sustainable environment

Ireland considers environmental sustainability as an important aspect of all its activities, especially rural development programmes. It has also been helping developing countries, in collaboration with UNDP, to integrate environmental considerations into their national development policies and plans.

One of the ways in which Ireland supports the environment is through its contribution to the Global Environment Fund, which helps developing countries fund projects and programmes that protect the global environment and of which UNDP is an implementing agency.

Ireland is also a member of the Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP), a network of bilateral aid agencies, multilateral development banks, UN agencies and international NGOs that aims to address key poverty-environment issues within the framework of international efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Bolstering gender equality

Ireland considers that gender equality, Millennium Development Goal number 3, impacts on the rest of the MDGs and it has decided, as a result, to mainstream gender equality in all of its programmes.

For instance, the country supports UNIFEM's Violence Against Women Trust Fund, the only multilateral grant-making mechanism that supports local, national and regional efforts to combat violence. UNIFEM is a part of UNDP.