Irish Aid History
From modest beginnings in 1974, Irish Aid has established a proud reputation for supporting people living in poverty and crisis around the world.
Ireland’s own history means that Irish people have a deep sense of compassion and solidarity with people living in poverty and oppression around the world.
Ireland has been both a recipient and a giver of aid. The famine which struck Ireland in the 1840s saw aid received from various parts of the world. Famously, the Choctaw Nation, themselves impoverished and suffering greatly, sent money to assist starving people in Ireland.
After joining the European Economic Community (EEC), the precursor to the EU, in 1973, Ireland continued to receive aid from Europe to improve our infrastructure and living standards. From 1973 to 2018 Ireland was a net recipient of over €40 billion in EU funds.
Ireland has a long tradition of supporting people living in poverty around the world. Irish missionaries have made enormous contributions, particularly across Africa and Asia.
Following independence, and particularly after Ireland joined the UN in 1955, the Irish Government made contributions to multilateral partners in support of poverty eradication but it wasn’t until 1974 that an official Government aid programme was established.
The establishment of Irish Aid was a reflection of Ireland’s values. Although we had a very challenging economic outlook domestically, the Government was clear that we had a moral obligation to assist those in even worse positions.
Irish Aid’s budget was initially modest but, as Ireland’s own economic development gathered pace, it began to grow significantly from the 1990s. Today, Irish Aid is renowned globally for its impact, values and partnership with people living in poverty and through crisis around the world.
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1973:
1973: Ireland joins the European Economic Community (EEC). Minister for Foreign Affairs Garrett Fitzgerald states that development aid will be “one of the basic objectives of Irish policy”.
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1974
1974: Ireland’s bilateral aid programme is established. Lesotho, Tanzania, Sudan and Zambia are identified as the priority countries. Ireland’s ODA budget for 1974 stands at £2.5 million. By 1977 it has grown to £9.6 million.
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1984
1984: Ireland’s relief budget increases by £1.5 million in response to famine in parts of the Horn of Africa. Ireland secures a commitment for the provision of 1.2 million tons of grain through the EEC to affected parts of Africa.
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1992
1992: Mary Robinson, President of Ireland, becomes the first Western Head of State to visit famine-hit Somalia. Her visit raises the international profile of the crisis and attracts enormous attention.
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1993
1993: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dick Spring brings a strategy, ‘Irish Aid: Consolidation and Growth, A Strategy Plan' to cabinet. The plan targets a growth in Ireland’s ODA and formally names the programme Irish Aid.
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1994
1994: Ireland begins supporting development programmes in Ethiopia and Uganda and opens Developing Cooperation offices in both countries.
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1994
1994: Ireland provides £3.25 million to support humanitarian relief in Rwanda following the genocide.
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1997
1997: Irish Aid’s budget stands at £110 million. As the Irish economy rapidly expands in the years ahead, so too does our commitment to global development. By 2004 the Irish Aid budget has risen to €489 million.
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1999
1999: An independent review to mark the 25th anniversary of Ireland’s ODA concludes: “Looking back over 25 years of Irish Aid, Irish people can take justifiable pride in it.”
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2000
2000: Ireland, along with 188 other countries, signs-up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which comprises of eight goals to reduce global poverty.
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2002
2002: Vietnam is designated as priority country for Ireland’s ODA, joining Lesotho, Tanzania, Zambia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda and East Timor. Malawi becomes Irish Aid’s ninth priority country in 2006.
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2004
2004: Irish Aid provides €10m to relief efforts after the tsunami in south-east Asia. The Irish public contributes an additional €80 million to the work of NGOs – the largest response per head of population of any country.
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2006
2006: The first White Paper on Irish Aid is published, reaffirming Ireland’s commitment to increasing ODA and establishing new initiatives, including the Rapid Response Initiative to support response to humanitarian crises.
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2008
2008: Ireland’s ODA budget reaches €920m. The economic crash sees ODA fall in subsequent years. It recovers in 2015 and climbs steadily in the following years.
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2012
2012: The war in Syria sparks Irish Aid’s largest ever humanitarian response. By the end of 2023, Ireland will have provided €245m to support people in Syria and those who have fled to neighbouring countries.
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2014
2014: Ireland plays a leading role in the response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, providing over €18 million to the most affected countries.
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2015
2015: Ireland co-chairs, along with Kenya, the negotiations that result in UN member states adopting the 2030 Agenda and 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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2019
2019: Ireland’s policy for international development, A Better World, is launched identifying four priority areas: gender equality, reducing humanitarian need, climate action, and strengthening governance.
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2020
2020: The Covid-19 pandemic spreads across the world. Over the course of 2020, Ireland allocates approximately €150 million to the global response.
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2022
2022: Ireland allocates a record €1.4 billion to tackling poverty around the world.
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2022
2022: Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparks a humanitarian response. Ireland was one of the first countries to respond, with the Taoiseach announcing an Irish Aid package on the first day of the invasion.
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2023
2023: Ireland provides €36m to Palestine, much of it in direct response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. This includes 50 tonnes of aid such as tents.