NGO Dóchas CEO Briefs Oireachtas Committee on EU-Africa Development Cooperation and MFF Concerns (data.oireachtas.ie)

• Global ODA fell 23.1% in 2025, largest decline on record.
• Proposed Global Europe Instrument drops poverty reduction objective.
• McKenna urges Ireland's EU Presidency to prioritize human development and civil society.

"Jane Ann McKenna, CEO of Dóchas (Irish NGO umbrella), addressed the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs on 27 May 2026 on EU development policy. She highlighted a 23.1% drop in global ODA in 2025, the largest on record, with cuts to LDCs and humanitarian aid. She criticized the proposed Global Europe Instrument (GEI) for removing poverty reduction as an objective, linking aid to EU strategic interests instead. McKenna called for Ireland's upcoming EU Presidency to champion values-based external action, secure an accountable GEI, and prioritize human development, climate justice, and civil society engagement."