Ireland Aid

Guiding Principles/Objectives

Programmes

Ireland is currently preparing a strategy for addressing ICT in its development assistance programme.

The focus of Ireland's development assistance programme on poverty reduction will lead to a strategic approach that sees ICT as a key tool for sustainable impact on poverty rather than as an issue or development priority in itself. Integration of ICT into PRSPs will be critical and care will need to be taken to ensure that such integration results in a strong poverty focus for ICT development rather than the identification of ICT dissemination as a priority for poverty reduction.

The objectives of the strategy is to identify opportunities and outline approaches for Ireland Aid to ensure that the potential of ICTs, as an instrument and resource for capacity-building, innovation, information exchange, transparency and accountability, is utilised in its current and future development programmes and policy and its day-to-day activities in ways that contribute directly to its objectives of participatory development, sustainable poverty reduction and partnership.

Areas of Application:

Support for national capacities for regulation of ICT and, sectorally, for the management of ICT acquisition and development are likely to be key elements of Ireland's strategy.

Delivery of support for ICT development should be in accordance with national and sectoral development priorities. At sectoral level ICT development should be contained in, and in line with, sectoral development priorities; and delivery of support should be through SWAPs or other co-ordinated delivery mechanisms.

Participation in Multi-donor Programmes:

Member of the UN ICT Task Force

Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Lesotho

► Mr. Earnán Ó Cléirigh, Technical Section, Ireland Aid, Earnan.OCleirigh@iveagh.irlgov.ie
► Ms. Gráinne Hehir, HQ-DCD, Grainne.Hehir@iveagh.irlgov.ie