Brendan Smith Urges Disability-Inclusive Development in Aid Debate
Brendan Smith spoke to a committee on development aid and humanitarian assistance, urging disability-inclusive development and regular engagement with Irish Aid and government departments. He emphasised outreach to schools, the role of the United Nations in disarmament, and the climate impacts on the poorest communities.
Disability-inclusive development
Brendan Smith warned that disability cannot be an afterthought in development policy. He recalled testimony that women with disabilities are two to three times more likely to face gender violence and highlighted the double vulnerability faced by women with disabilities.
Commitment to official engagement
He pledged that the committee will continue to engage with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with the Minister of State and directly with Irish Aid. He said the issues raised at the meeting will be brought to the Department of Irish Aid and raised at future official and political discussions.
Outreach to schools and the United Nations
He supported increased interaction with schools and colleges to communicate the importance of development aid and humanitarian assistance, noting a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade initiative to bring the United Nations flag to each school. He also recalled meeting a senior United Nations official who spoke about disarmament and referenced Ireland's historical role in non-proliferation treaties.
Climate impacts and humanitarian examples
Brendan Smith stressed the link between climate change and vulnerability in the poorest countries. He cited recent typhoons in Malawi and Mozambique where villages and settlements were literally washed away as examples of the humanitarian consequences.
Committee work and NGO input
He noted the committee's ongoing engagement with international and Irish non-governmental organisations and recalled a past committee report on Irish Aid that sought submissions from organisations including Moxfam. He assured regular dialogue with representative organisations on matters affecting people in the developing world, particularly those with disabilities.
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Thanks very much, Niamh. Just with regard to Deputy Barrett's point, I think we discussed here at previous meetings the idea of maybe having more interaction with schools and colleges and to get the message out about the huge importance of development aid or humanitarian assistance programs and the benefits that the funding by the taxpayer is bringing to the most impoverished and poorest people in the world and of course the whole area of climate change, the most vulnerable communities in respect to climate change. other people in the poorest countries again. We saw that some weeks ago in Malawi and Mozambique with the typhoons and that and villages and settlements being literally washed away. I know that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recently took an initiative in regard to bringing the United Nations flag to each school. I think that's to give the opportunity to get the message that since we joined the United Nations 64 years ago, I think it was, the important role that Ireland has played in the United Nations as a very small country and only last week some of us met with one of the senior United Nations officials who was speaking to us about disarmament and she referred constantly to the initiatives of Irish governments back in the early days when we were in the United Nations that led to non-proliferation treaties and there were extremely important treaties in regard to the whole area of disarmament. and as a committee we engage on a regular basis with international non-governmental organisations with Irish non-governmental organisations so throughout the year of our work there's a huge part of our work as all my colleagues can attest to in relation to developing age humanitarian assistance all of that and indeed in our own report that we did in Irish Aid back some years ago, back more than a year ago as a committee, and we we had sought submissions from Moxfam and others and we did highlight and reference the whole area of the need for disability inclusive development and your contributions here today are very welcome from each of you and I think when Fatimata spoke about women the double vulnerability of a woman with a disability and of course one of the frightening statistics that you imparted to us today as well is that women with disabilities are two to three times more likely to face gender violence it's really frightening to think of that and of course disability cannot be an afterthought in development policy and we don't have an executive role but we will engage as we do all the time with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade with Minister of State and also with Irish Aid directly on the issues that you have raised and we will ensure that the very important points that and the very important issues that you have raised here at our meeting today that they are brought directly to the Thonis and to the Department of Irish Aid and in our future discussions at official level and at political level we will raise again the very important dialogue that we have had today and you can be assured of regular dialogue with representative organisations such as yourselves on all of these many important matters that concern people in the developing world and particularly people with a disability as well so again a sincere thanks to all of you for your contribution here today
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