International Developments: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-21
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Paula Butterly (FG), Louth

As my colleague, Deputy Barry Ward, said, this is a very wide-ranging debate but I would like to focus on international aid. In 2024, the US made $82 billion in contribution under USAID. In 2025, it was just under $20 billion. Other European countries and Great Britain also announced major cuts in their contribution which means it is estimated that only 29% of global humanitarian funding needs are being met. In a world that is changing before our eyes, how are we even going to possibly believe we will be in a position to meet the vast humanitarian needs that require increased, not decreased, funding? The Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, have said that providing aid to these countries is not just beneficial, it is not something that just soothes our souls, but it is a practical and common-sense approach as it will bear fruit in the long term as the goal is that these countries will in time be operating as sustainable and growing economies.
Insufficient humanitarian aid costs lives. If the Ceann Comhairle will permit me, I would like to drive home this point with a few numbers. The Impact Counter estimates that over 750,000 deaths have arisen as a result in cuts to USAID alone. An estimated 16,000 children are dead due to lack of HIV-AIDS funding; 160,000 children are dead as a result of pneumonia; 150,000 children are dead because of malnutrition; 52,000 children are dead as a result of malaria; and, extraordinarily, 125,000 children are dead as a result of diarrhoea.
The sad reality is that we may never know the true cost of human life as a result of these cuts, as many of the systems that once tracked deaths and diseases in developing countries have simply ceased to exist.
The Minister should think of the ramifications, not only for the people of these countries but what it could mean for us here at home. If these systems no longer exist, how can we track and trace current or future diseases? What impact could that have on us here at home in Ireland?
To return to my initial point, in these times of turmoil and uncertainty how will international aid be affected in the coming 12 months or the 12 months beyond that? While some countries may choose to turn their backs on countries like Sudan and Ukraine, others may feel paralysed to act or intimidated by bigger players. Ireland must stand strong on its humanitarian principles. We must continue to increase funding to those that have a greater need. Ireland must use its voice at all costs to call out the wrongful actions and unlawful actions of all those that perpetrate them.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-31T01:00:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-21