 Ladies and gentlemen, good morning or good afternoon, as the case may be. My name is David Donahue. On behalf of the Institute of International and European Affairs, I'd like to welcome you to this, the first in the Institute's new Development Matters lecture series, which is supported by Irish Government Development Cooperation Programme. We're delighted to have with us, as our guest speaker today, Mr Colin Brophy TD, who is the Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and the Diaspora in the Irish Government. The minister will speak to us on the subject of Ireland's priorities for international development. He'll speak for about 20 minutes or so, and then we will open up to questions from the audience. Just some housekeeping points first. Please use the Q&A function on the Zoom, which you'll see at the bottom of your screen, to send in questions or comments as they occur to you during the minister's presentation. And please identify yourself when you're putting in a question. The minister's remarks and the Q&A session will all be on the record. You're very welcome to tweet from the event using the handle at IIEA. We're also live streaming the event. So a very warm welcome to all of you who are joining us on YouTube. So I'd now like to hand over to Roy DeBurke, Director General of Irish Aid, who will introduce the series. Roy. Thanks, David, and hello everybody. This development matter series is about 10 years old now. And over that time, we've had many, many important interventions and exciting conversations with many thought leaders, Irish and international, on really interesting and salient development issues. And I think this last year, you know, with the pandemic, but also with the increasing emphasis on climate and climate change, climate crisis, climate action, many of those questions have kind of come together and been given, you know, all too real expression in our day to day lives. And that's been part of the conversation I've had with Minister Brophy since he came into position as minister with responsibility for overseas development aid and the diaspora last July. A curious time to become a minister with responsibility for things abroad, because as we all know, going abroad has been a challenge. But a time when those two elements of a portfolio in some ways have never been more important because the impact of the minister's portfolio is one which touches on not just Irish people at home, but Irish people abroad and other people in very, very many ways. So I know the minister will touch on a number of key areas that from my conversation to him, I know he attaches real importance to in terms of addressing those really pertinent questions of our time. And, you know, issues where he's had to struggle to work maybe in two dimensions more than three more often than perhaps any of us would have liked. You know, I think this conversation has moved from the confines of the IAEA, you know, where we've had many development matter seminars to this more globalized format through Zoom and YouTube. And we all know the strength of that and the inclusivity of that. And I think we've all begun to know the downside of that as well. But, you know, enough for me. I mean, I think the minister will touch on a number of really key issues, drawing, I think, on the experience of this last year and of our interconnectedness between our life here in Ireland and our impact abroad. So with no further ado, David, I'd like to introduce Minister Colin Brophy, Minister for overseas development out in the diaspora. Thank you. Thank you very much, Rory, and thank you to the Institute for the invitation and opportunity to set out my priorities for development cooperation. This is everyone knows it's a turbulent time in our global history. There's a pandemic and the ramifications of we see the rise of Asia and a more multi polar world. Climate change is a reality which we must address. And our multilateral system is being strained and closer to home our European vocation, which has been strengthened for us just as our nearest neighbor has waned. And against that complex backdrop, it is important that we have a safe space, such as provided by the Institute, a sanctuary in which we can take stock to debate to ponder our world and Ireland's place within it. For a decade now, the Institute has been our partner in this development matter series of seminars, in which we have benefited from thought leaders of world standing, sharing their insights, difficult questions have both asked and answered, as well as moved forward in the spirit of intellectual inquiry and civic mindedness that defines your work. I'm very pleased to be the inaugural speaker in this year's development matter series. So ladies and gentlemen, we may live on an island, but we cannot be insular of prosperity. Our security is intertwined and interdependent on the prosperity and the security of others. We have seen Ireland transformed over the past 50 years or so, from what the economist described once says the poorest of the rich to last year being ranked second in the human development index. This change has been accelerated by Ireland opening up to the world, complemented by a new engagement with our diaspora. Today, as an EU member state we are playing our full part in the United Nations and engaging wholeheartedly in the global system. International development is an essential foreign policy tool, a means for us to secure prosperity at home through investment in the prosperity and security of others. The transformation of Ireland that I and you have lived through informs our approach to development, as does of course our history of poverty, of famine and of migration. This well articulated in the white paper on international development a better world which we launched two years ago by my party colleagues Leo Varadkar and Simon Kovni, which sets out the framework for the government's approach to development cooperation. We have been working on the success of Irish aid program over the four decades and sets the targets for 2030 2030 is the deadline for delivery of sustainable development goals, the SDGs are a course a product of Irish diplomacy, working with our current partners on the UN Security Council, like Kenya, stewarded by the Institute's own David Donnell, the OECD last year published its latest very positive peer review of Irish aid. He said that Ireland walks the talk. It's a leading advocate of multilateralism, with a clear focus that enables us to exercise leadership and make a visible difference. So today, I want to highlight a number of areas where Ireland will make a difference over the next year. Challenges for us here at home challenges shared with others around the world such as climate change, addressing hunger, fixing global food systems, global public health and education. Each of these issues require change, and I want us to be part of the global coalition of change coalition and partnership is at the heart of our approach. It is why Ireland saw a seat on the UN Security Council. It's why we are deeply committed to multilateralism. It's why we work to build personal connections with partners overseas, as we invest in their development. It's because working together with others makes us stronger and more effective. And we will need to be our strongest and our most effective. If we are to meet the world meet the challenges in the world of climate change. The government recognizes that we must take action at home. Climate action is the essence of the program for government, the climate action bill, which we've introduced. That's a really ambitious even world leading timeframe for transition transition here in Ireland. But ambition cannot remain just at home. We must also help others to take that action abroad. If we are to avoid a two degree temperature rise. It could be degrees could see islands sink beneath the oceans. It could see crops fail. It could see entire species at risk of extinction. The consequences for those further behind are unthinkable. The time fraction is now. And that's why I have established the climate humans within Irish age to drive the Department of Foreign Affairs climate response. It's what I call climate diplomacy. This is a critical year for climate diplomacy, one where Ireland can help influence the global agenda. Now, last week, Minister Ryan participated in the Earth Day Summit hosted by President Biden. This is the first of a number of global meetings this year, which will come in late in November in Glasgow in COP 26, the 25th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Climate Change Convention. As part of the journey to Glasgow, amazed Dublin climate dialogues will help us build momentum. I would encourage every wall to participate. If climate diplomacy is to be effective, we need to bring something to the table. And I'm committed to at least doubling the proportion of Ireland's official development assistance that goes to international climate finance by 2013. This will build on our contribution of 93 million in 2019. The vast majority of Irish AIDS climate finance supports climate adaption in the poorest and most vulnerable countries in the world. Why, and I tell you because we very simply is that those countries have asked us to provide that. However, support for climate adaption is not the norm. In spite of the outsized impact of climate change on the most vulnerable. I want to champion getting more and better finance, especially for adoption. To this frontline of China climate change, leading by us leading by example. It's why I was proud to endorse the principles for the locally led adaption at the recent climate adaption so much. I'm driving the mainstreaming of climate action, right across the Irish aid program. We are in Ireland, and it's a call to action, we are vulnerable. The sense of our own vulnerability informs us our partnership with small island developing states, which is climate action at its heart. As an island, we are literally defined by the water that surrounds us. And that's why we are committed to scaling up Irish aid support for what is called the sustainable blue economy. Marine life and ecosystems are the unsung heroes in the fight to protect our planet. The climate diplomacy this year has a particular focus on climate and security, on which Ireland has a role at the UN Security Council climate change is already impacting on social cohesion and threatening peace and security in many parts of the world. Effective climate action is essential to building and maintaining peace in this century. Climate action is essential if we are to overcome another of the great global challenges, the challenge of hunger. While it seemed for a while that we had hunger on the run conflict climate change and the pandemic has seen the numbers of people living in food insecurity rise. Today, 690 million people, almost 9% of the world's population will go to bed hungry. We are just not good enough, but we can do something about it. And we are doing just that, drawing inspiration from our family past, and our food island present in preparation for next September's UN food system so much island is the center of efforts to reform global food systems. Climate change is in all aspects of sustainable, safe and nutritious food. We do this with a degree of moral authority, as we can recall the shaping of our demography our landscapes and our social structures, which famine raw. And in many ways, which still impacts on us as a country. Climate change is creating new uncertainties for farmers, new plant science, new props, new techniques and different husbandry is and will be required. This means investing in research in education in dissemination and in new systems. Irish aid is doing that through our country programs in Africa and in global partnerships, such as in the International Fund for Agriculture Development, where Ireland has just taken a seat on the board. Conflict continues to disrupt food systems. COVID-19 and associated restrictions are playing havoc with agricultural markets. And globally, too many subsistence farmers are unable to produce enough nutritious foods to feed their families. As our food systems become more industrialized, food safety emerges as a serious concern. In many countries, the prevalence of cheap food, high in sugar and driving new forms of malnutrition is creating obesity epidemics. In response, the Department of Foreign Affairs in close partnership with the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine is working towards adopting a sustainable food systems approach. Such an approach tries to get the balance right between the environmental societal and economic aspects of food systems. We will show leadership in the food system in the Irish food system, but importantly, we also reflect this in our development activities. This month and next, the two departments are convening national dialogues and sustainable food systems. The second of these four free events on health and wellbeing of people in society was held yesterday. I'd like to thank all those who participated, and I would also like to encourage you to participate in the remaining two dialogues, which are in May, and the last one which we'll look at the work of Irish age. These domestic conversations are our unique experiences and our expertise will also inform Ireland's contribution to the food system so much, linking food diplomacy to the climate diplomacy. I mentioned earlier, bringing a new dimension to the old clip about dining for Ireland. We cannot separate food from health and what a time to be thinking about our health and health systems. The pandemic has more than any other global issue in my lifetime, being a reminder of the interdependence and interconnectivity. And while we have, there are grounds for some optimism at home as our vaccines are rolled out, and I reflect though on Dr Mike Ryan's phrase that no one is safe until everyone is safe. And I am reminded that we have more to do. We are well placed to play our part, as Irish age has been working on global health for many years. The pandemic has been standing still to us as we responded in the early days of the pandemic, and deeply proud that we were able to mobilize 150 million in 2020 to support the health response and to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on our development partners. This year, Irish age will invest at least another 50 million in the global public health, including our response to the pandemic. During this time of great challenge, Irish expertise matters as much as Irish aid money. So I'd like to acknowledge our partnership with the HSE in supporting partners in Africa. This includes by sharing Irish experiences with infection control in the COVID context, and mentor well being support for frontline healthcare workers in partner countries. Working with the HSE we've been able to share the tools and experience from supporting our own healthcare heroes back here in our country, who have done so much for us. Much of our investment in global public health will support the fight against COVID-19. Countries don't just need vaccines, they need the capacity to roll out vaccination campaigns and programs. That is a priority for our investment. We are also contributing to the COVAX system. Irish aid and also as part of the EU. 177 countries and economic economies have started vaccination with 905 million doses administered around the world. With EU support so far, COVAX has provided vaccines to 20% of the world's population. We are working with other countries that there is more to do to support the global effort. And we will do it. Working with others. Already we're working in places as diverse as Liberia, Mozambique and Zambia on their health system responses. We are active in Brussels and at the World Health Organization in Geneva, and we will remain so. We will play our full part in the control of the pandemic to help others to be safe, so that we can be safe ourselves. So many people have had their lives impacted by the virus. Among those impacted are children who have lost a year's education. Across the world, too many, particularly girls, will not return to school, will probably not return to school ever. I am determined that Irish aid will work to help to address this. It does not well mean evidence that educating girls transforms lives and also entire societies. Yet girls continue to face barriers to education. And as the virus has revealed too often, they have to drop out. But they drop out and there is no pandemic for reasons such as the cost of secondary education, domestic responsibilities, early marriage and early pregnancy. All of these are contributing factors. All means that girls of poorer education outcomes in low income countries. Only 53% of girls aged 15 to 24 can read a simple sentence that compares to 76% of boys in the same age. This is why a better world commits Ireland to providing 250 million for global education by 2024. And we are delivering on this through our partnerships we are targeting efforts of girls education, as well as continuity of education in emergencies. Just recently, I approved a grant of 2 million towards education cannot wait, a fund dedicated to supporting the urgent needs of children and youth caught up in emergencies and protracted prices. And shortly, I look forward to announcing Ireland support for the global partnership for education, one of our longest standing and large largest education partners. Ladies and gentlemen, it can sometimes appear that the development challenges facing us are insurmountable, and that the needs are infinite. But I am actually optimistic. Every day I see amazing innovation and spirit of people who are working for change, people who are actually making this a better world. Powerful people thought leaders such as those who speak at the least development matter seminars. Every day Irish people also make a difference, whether through giving through other contributions, such as Trish and Irish doctor working on pediatric oncology in Tanzania, who I met a few months ago, and who is truly an inspiring person. Our people, like Joseph in Uganda, who are listening to what he calls corona time on public health radio programs, part of a goal initiative, which Irish aid fund setting up hand washing stations outside his front door. All the small steps together make a difference, a coalition for change, which will help us address the global challenges, which I have outlined here today. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Minister, for that very wide ranging and extremely interesting presentation, which covers really a lot of the priorities on your agenda and the government's agenda over the coming period. So with that, we can go into the Q&A session and a couple of questions have come in already. Let me begin with two or three Ministers, which I have in front of me here. One really picks up on what you were saying about the impact of the pandemic. A Better World document promised that we would future proof Ireland's international development work. But do you think that there has been a major setback for our development efforts because of the pandemic? And if so, what sort of mitigation actions could be taken? A second question is about, well, the government's commitments in relation to ODA resources. As you know, the current commitment is to reach 0.7% by 2030. Can that still be met with the budgetary uncertainties which have been introduced by the pandemic? In other words, are we still on track? And maybe a third one, a third one really is about the focus within a better world on the poorest and the most vulnerable communities. And you have touched on that already in a sense, reaching the furthest behind first. Can we continue to defend that priority when, because of the pandemic, there could be greater needs at home as another person? Thank you, Minister. Maybe you might have a go at some of those. Well, thank you. Thank you very much for some of those questions. I suppose I was going to start in the order you gave them to me until you gave me the last one. And since the last one is one of my pet issues, I'm going to start with it first. Yes, the answer is we must absolutely always be reaching out to protect those birds behind and to reach out with Irish aid to the people most in need. And we will always be conscious of needs here at home. We will always absolutely. But I think if one thing we have to have learned out of COVID as a global world society is that you cannot ignore the impacts of what is happening in different parts of the world to people, to their lives, to families, to societies, and that something that happens in a small, unknown city in an unknown town in an unknown village or an unknown market somewhere in the world can have devastating impact on the whole of our planet and the whole of the way in which everybody lives their lives. And if ever we can take one lesson out of COVID is the importance of international aid, the importance of recognising that we work together. And not just in terms of the COVID use of the expression which I know Mike Ryan has always talked about that no one is safest until everyone is safe. But actually, in all forms of talking about how we collectively live on our planet together and how we use aid, until we are reaching out for everybody. So we are working together with everybody to mitigate the systems that we have now of extreme poverty and extreme wealth. Then we will not, I think, have the type of world that we should be wanting to live in. And to go back to your question. I am absolutely committed to reaching the 0.7 target by 2030. I think that's something I firmly believe in. I think it's something the government believes in. We are working towards that track. I think it's really important that we recognise that we increased funding this year. And I think it's a real credit to the thinking in government at the moment, that with all the economic difficulties which we face and with all the incredible COVID crisis, which we were in the midst of, we still looked at the importance of development aid and still looked as to how we could increase the funding. We also have our commitment within the programme for government on the maintenance of funding and the working towards the zero, you know, and making sure that we have that maintenance of funding right across the years. And as I say, I'm personally government is still really more on target for that 0.7 by 2030. It's difficult to do economic circumstances change all the time. And, you know, no one at all could have predicted just over 14 months ago, but we would have gone through in this 14 months and the impact it would have had. But I think it's clearly important to keep that goal, particularly if you like to look in contrast at other countries, other neighbouring countries or whatever, who have reprioritised the way they're approaching development and their supports and commitments to it. I think it's something we should be absolutely proud of and continuing to do. And so your final question, which was actually the first question was, has COVID set back development. And I suppose the straightforward answer to that is, is, is yes. The least developed countries has been very, very devastating. I talked about it and mentioned particularly in relation to some of the progress and gains which have been taking place in education, particularly in gender equality and education and in terms of support for young girls to remain in education, all of these things came under real stress because of the impact of COVID on the immediate health impact of COVID on those countries, but also the economic impact of COVID on the economies of countries. And I think therefore we need to focus in two ways on this. We need to which we are doing and which we committed to a straight away to put in whatever emergency supports we can do to deal with COVID impact. We need to be able to look in the longer way of how we need to refocus and reshape what we're doing on the ground to take account of the fact of the impact that COVID has had on some of our programs and operations in countries in which we have a particularly a bilateral set of issues going. So it is, I think really important that we continue to do that work. And I think that we recognize the fact that you will have the COVID impact, but coming up very much on top of that and immediately on top of that is the impact on the climate we'll be having as well. And we'll obviously be looking at that as well. Thank you very much, D Minister. I'm picking up on what you said a moment ago about setting a good example for neighboring countries. I just read you a question or comment which very much endorses that. It's from Rhino Tool on behalf of the presentation sisters in Ireland and England. And they thank you for your inspiring words and they ask if we could reach the 0.7% target as soon as possible. But this would signal a message of best example to all of Europe and might inspire others in, for example, the UK to rethink their ODA obligations and responsibilities just as they have reduced theirs. So I mentioned that perhaps against the word but I think you have dealt with it. Going on then there was a question from Quiba Dabara who, as you know, is the CEO of Trocra. And Quiba asks whether we would support a waiver in the trips agreement in order to help to get vaccines developed as rapidly as possible at global level. Would you like to take that or will I add another couple of questions as well? If you want to add a few in, if you want to add the three problems. Minister, perhaps you might just reflect generally on the UK as a partner from the development point of view in the post Brexit context. What scope you see for Ireland and the EU to continue to work with the UK and then maybe another one that's come in relates to Ireland's Security Council membership. How can we use that to advance development priorities such as climate would you put you partly address that already, gender equality and women, peace and security that that set of issues. Okay, well, the first of all just to look at the trips area which you mentioned at the start and the obviously the privacy there is going to be at the EU level in terms of engaging on that along with obviously the United States. It is something that is under review, it is being looked at. For me, my primary focus on what we're doing here and the thing that I think is vitally important is that we continue the delivery through particularly covax and through what Team Europe is doing and through a number of other out which is we're making to ensure that we get vaccines out there. And that we support the systems that are in place on the ground and as I mentioned in my remarks earlier on, we have both the necessity to get vaccines out there and to get the systems in place, and the delivery systems in place. We have been working very strongly on supporting that. And I think there obviously will be a very engaged conversation around trips around being at EU at US at international level, at WHO level. But I think primarily working from my perspective on this in support of the covax system and support of the work we've done through Gavi and in support of making sure that not only are we seeing an increase in actual vaccines but we're ensuring that we support and putting in place the delivery systems. There is no point in getting vaccines into location if there is no ability to deliver on the ground and that's something which we've worked very hard on. Very important I think to remember in relation to the UK and I know that there has been changes in relation to the what they're doing at the moment, but they are very strong development partners and they've worked very strongly with us over many many years as an EU member I have no doubt they will continue to work with us from their new position outside the EU, as they will continue to work with other EU member states, and they are still a large player within development aid and within what's taking place around the world. And I think we have a lot of programs which we have developed over many years, which have run in conjunction together, and I'm a great believer in working with and developing harmony and developing structures. And what we want to do is make sure that whatever systems we can put in place, working with whether it's the UK or any other person that we do that, and we do that primarily for the purpose of ensuring that, you know, the people on the ground who don't care how it comes through, or what structures are in place that they get their help. And that's really the focus we have there on the security council side of stuff. You know, I think you can see the impact of Ireland already within the security answer because we bring a particular type of politics to the security council. And it's a politics that shaped out of our experiences of people and as a nation, and it's a politics that very much as a multinational review is a view towards conflict resolution is a view towards how to solve problems and issues. And we saw Minister Coveney working there recently in the area of Tigray, in terms of authoring a proposal to, to, to de-escalate that situation, to deal with the issue, the appalling, the appalling issue of sexual violence as a weapon of war, and to allow for international monitoring to come in on the ground on that. And that really gives an idea of the type of views and politics that are part of our make up on how we will be contributing to the security council. And you'll be seeing more of that over our membership of the security council. But it will be very much based on the, at the heart of it, the type of things that Ireland has stood for, for so many years, particularly in the development aid area. Thank you very much, Minister. I just give you, we have quite a number of questions coming in, very interesting ones, and I know you're, we will do our best to get to them. But let me give you a couple straight up from Suzanne Keating, who as you know is the head of the ministry. Minister, it's great to see you wear your STG badge and showing your commitment to the goals. Where do you think Ireland is doing best? And where is it doing worst? We're conscious that we have less than 10 years to go. So that's one, then I want to come to one, which I saw from Dominic McSorley, as you know, CEO of Concern. He welcomes your comments and especially your emphasis on conflict, climate and hunger. Ireland continues to be an exemplary donor, extraordinarily generous nation. However, we're seeing at global level a lack of response to unprecedented levels of hunger and conflict crisis in Yemen, South Sudan, and so on. How can we best engage the media, and importantly, the next generation on these issues of our time? And the third one I would give you, Minister, if you don't mind, is one from Jim Clarken. Jim Clarken, as you know, well, no, I'll give you those two that I made to begin with. That's fair enough. Well, global leadership is really important. I mean, how do you engage on issues around hunger and the type of things I mentioned again in the contribution earlier through the international institutions, through the various bodies. But I also think if you want really media, and I refer to this as new and old media to take account of what's happening, you need to, I think, be doing something which we are doing a lot of, which is intergenerational talking, which is raising these issues as an issue for the next generation, for children who are in school, for young Irish people right across third level and second level and whatever, and getting buy-in from people. So as they start to talk about it, as they start to generate the ideas that the media will pick up on this, I do think we do have a real problem sometimes in the global media, local media, national media. The way in which they sometimes address development-aid issues or issues like this is they step in at a time of emergency, there is a blanket coverage, and then they step out at other times and you don't get the message coming across. So it's always going to be an ongoing battle, but one of the areas which I'm quite pleased with is that we're developing our programs in terms of looking at that whole new area of communication, which is particularly prevalent amongst our younger generations, which is that whole new source of social media, online contact and all that area there, and I think that's the way we'll drive attention to it, because global hunger is absolutely linked to and part of climate change, but is absolutely a huge issue, which will face us in this century. In terms of areas we do well in Worcester, it's always very, very difficult to pick areas like that. The area I always like to see, and I think we make a tremendous impact on as a country, is the area around our support for gender equality, and particularly through education, and particularly through the supports and programs we put in place for young girls and women to have access and remain in education. And it's not just that direct support that goes into the education side of it, but it's the societal change that we support, which enables a different set of thinking to be there to enable young girls to have an education. And that means working with whole communities and working with a countrywide approach, or an approach that says you must change the way you view this, so as that you can enable young girls to remain in education. It's an incredible poverty breaker, if you can get young girls to remain in education, it breaks that cycle of poverty, and really has tremendous benefits for a country. And I mean, it's not so long since we saw the benefits of that in our own country. We're not a country blessed with huge natural resources in terms of minerals or various things, and really what we did was we educated our people, and we educated them to turn them into the greatest natural asset which our country would have, the economic benefits which we started to gain out of that in the latter half of the last century. So I think it is really important that we look at that as a real success story of what we're doing and we'll be working on it very strongly. Thank you very much, Minister. If I may give you another three or four questions, Nor Owen says sadly it's over 30 years since the promise of 0.7% was made, so fingers crossed now. Thank you, Colin. Could I ask, are we failing in our development policy in the actions we take for asylum seekers here in Ireland, many of whom are from the countries that we're now helping? Then Anne Barrington asks about your current thinking on global citizenship and the need to have greater support here for our development aid program. Mark Coleman asks the question, Minister, about really about how Ireland can help to strengthen trade and investment links with Africa at EU level and also I think bilaterally. And if you can bear with me for one further one, Finola Finan of Trocra asks about strengthened governance, which is a key priority in a better world. Can you talk about our commitment to human rights, including protecting the space for civil society, which is under threat in many countries? Thank you very much. And some of those people are asking questions I have had the privilege of knowing for a number of years, in particular, Nora. And so just to start by obviously that saying hello to Nora, and I do recognize that it is a long time in terms of 0.7, but I do think that that is something that, as I said, I'm very much committed towards. And in terms of treatment of asylum seekers and that that area there, I think that is something which the government is looking at. I think we need to be cognizant of that and we need to make sure that particularly it crosses over into a part of my work, which is more diaspora nearly even the development aid side, which is that we as a government we as a country are very strong advocates for undocumented Irish, particularly in the United States, and the way in which we want them to be treated and the way in which we think and I think we need as a country to also recognize therefore that we need to look at our own house and what we're doing there, some very interesting new initiatives from Minister McIntyre in relation to that and looking at how we would actually treat people who were here a long time in the country through that process. And also, I think we really do need to be looking at how we can resolve quickly people's issues who arrive here as refugees claiming asylum. In terms for Mark, who I also know in terms of global trade systems. Yes, absolutely. I think it is really important to remember that there's a whole area of work which can be done by governments and by aid programs. And we also need that huge cooperation, and we need the structures to be put in place to reform and take away the barriers that will enable therefore business to take place. Because if you strengthen the economies of these countries, and if you put in place and give them the facilities to trade and develop, and that is a real real positive. I think we have shown as a very multilaterally focused country through our membership of the European Union, the UN and whatever that we are very much a country that looks at trying to work on those type of barriers and to strengthen international trade. And the final one, which you'd asked me what was in terms of governance issues and in the around human rights and that is something that is part of what our role on the Security Council over the next 12 months and having that Irish voice which is particularly strong in relation to those areas will be part of. Thank you very much, Minister. A question from Breeder Gahan of concern worldwide. Breeder points out that, you know, as we've learned now, development is is impeded by by and slow down by illness by pandemics and children dropping out of school and so on. Will Irish aid under your leadership prioritise investment in health going forward. And I might also give you a question which has come in about about. Well, you've partly answered it but the really the issue of whether the EU is doing enough to promote vaccine equity and access to vaccines. You may leave that with you and then really a question about what in what specifically we can do to address the climate challenge for the small island developing states. Again, you've partly touched on it but if you'd like to respond to those. Thank you. I will I think it's the last one there you mentioned in terms of small and developing states is really a huge issue, because it's one of these things where sometimes a lot of conversation that takes place within the context of climate change within our own country or within European countries talks about the need for action to prevent the problem becoming X or Y for small island developing states that is today, it's not a case of it becoming that is a case of they are living through the impact of climate change, as it has occurred, and as it has directly happened, and we are really working quite closely with them as a group to try and put in place particularly the items I was referring to around mitigation around real changes in adaption, funding to adapt processes to change processes to do some work on mitigation, but also to the fact that they are living through climate change as an immediate issue that is impacting their countries at this moment in time. I mean, it's one of the things I suppose that has really impacted me the most is because I've had a number of really almost emotionally distressing calls with people who are on islands right across the Caribbean or the Pacific, and you see countries doing tremendous work investing in everything they can do to see that wiped out and destroyed in a single night of a hurricane or a eruption or something like that and the real devastation that that causes, and it's the type of thing that we are very, very conscious that so many of these weather particular events which are now wreaking havoc for these small island states are directly based on what has happened in terms of climate so we will very much be working on that. I have indeed talked about COVAX and the real importance of COVAX and health systems in terms of both Team Europe and Ireland's response to making sure we have vaccines getting out there. I think it's really important to note that right across the board, the entire way in which we deliver vaccines as we look forward into the summer and later on, we will be constantly reviewing that and constantly looking at what both at a national level and at an international level, but systems are in place and what systems can best deliver the fastest available access to both vaccines and the systems to ensure delivery. So health systems and supporting within that has already always been a really important part for us, health and education are two key areas which we play a really important role. In one of the first things I did as a minister was look at how we could reach out to health systems in some of our key partner countries in terms of the mental health impacts of COVID. Because we're always conscious of the fact that while we do a very large amount we do as much as we can with a budget, we're still a small country. So when we're looking for systems and things we can do, it's sometimes being innovative in how you can channel that resource so as you can best get a delivery of it. And one of the key things which we looked at was putting it in place in conjunction with HSE supports for frontline workers in those countries to deal with the mental health impacts of working in a COVID pandemic, because we've saw what the impact and that was on our own incredible heroes here in Ireland, delivering that, and we wanted to be able to reach out and help those frontline workers dealing with the same type of awful day to day problems that our own frontline workers were experiencing here. So health will remain a key priority for us. Thank you very much Minister I think we have time for perhaps two or three final questions and then I know that you have to you have to go to another engagement. One question is whether we can use the the biannual African Ireland Economic Forum to help to provide Irish assistance in the context of the of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another question relates to the work of humanitarian agencies, you know, whom Irish aid traditionally has supported. Increasingly, we have private sector actors who are potential partners when it comes to delivering humanitarian assistance. What is your view on that? Do you see some scope for private sector actors? I think I leave it at that Minister if you were good enough to tackle those two there were dozens of further questions. I'm very sorry. I can't get to them within the time available. But if I could leave those couple of final questions with the Minister. Of course, no bother if for a brief moment David there you sounded like you had ascended to the top of the mountain and we're booming down into a good background surround side. So I was it was a very interesting development there and I will be brief just on those final two. Obviously, there is the African Ireland Forum in 2022. And I think we'll be looking at all types of ways and means in which we can work together on anything like that in terms of supports for COVID and supports for that. And my key thing is we have some really good NGO partners we have some really good established relationships. We're always looking at the from my perspective is the people who are furthest behind we're trying to help those are the people and we need to look at every means of delivery there is. And if it fits in with what we're trying to do in terms of Irish aid, if it fits in with the ethos and approach and the ethical values, which we hold within it. And then we'll, you know, we should be open to looking but we have to meeting be meeting all of that in that area, but certainly we have developed in many, many decades and Irish aid. I think a really good system where we do two things. We work with our really strong developed NGO partnerships, which really do deliver for us in that focused way. But we've also developed the international way of working where why we've actually looked at how we contribute to team Europe we've actually looked at how we contribute through the much bigger organizations. So is that if we're putting in a contribution that we're getting as the expression goes the bank for the book, and very often that's a multilateral system of delivery, which enables us to do that. And that very much be driving most of our delivery in the future as well. Thank you very, very much for that. And for your generosity and commitment to answering a very, very wide range of questions, as well as your initial presentation. We've all been for the Thomas. And I know the session could go on for another couple of hours easily. But on behalf the Institute, thank you very, very much for giving us your time, laying out your views and so many issues. And I thank all I thank the audience who took part and sent in questions. And I look forward to the continued success of this series, which you have now inaugurated Minister. Thank you very, very much for coming. And we look forward to having a back on many future occasions. Thank you very much. Thank you. And thank you to everybody.