The EU’s official development assistance : Ireland and Malta's promotion of the sustainable development goals

Abstract

Official Development Assistance (ODA) is a critical policy tool for the European Union (EU) and its Member States in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on a global scale, in which governments help developing countries improve their economic development and overall welfare. Countries began aligning their policies with the UN Sustainable Development Targets (SDGs) in 2015, identifying national priorities, developing implementation plans, and implementing chosen SDG goals. This dissertation examines how two EU Island States, Malta and Ireland, have fulfilled the aims of the European Development Cooperation Policy, and which is the most supportive. As a result, the literature reviewed in this dissertation provides an overview of how the EU Development and Cooperation Policy has evolved over time, Official Development Assistance in general and its context in the EU, the Sustainable Development Goals and how they relate to ODA, and the ODA strategies of Malta and Ireland. Relevant literature was gathered on poverty and how it can be eradicated through education. This dissertation intend to fill a gap in Malta's and Ireland's ODA contributions to poverty eradication through education, as well as to assess how these countries have managed to stay on track with the European Development and Cooperation Policy and the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals. A mixed-method approach of qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics is used answer to the research questions ‘To what extent is the Official Development Assistance provided by Malta and Ireland complying with the objectives of the European Development and Cooperation Policy to eradicate poverty, with a focus on education?’ and ‘Which Sustainable Development Goals are most supported by Malta’s and Ireland’s Official Development Assistance?’. The results, overall provide a positive evaluation of how Malta and Ireland are in line with the European Development and Cooperation Policy through the projects that both countries contributed towards the fight to eradicate poverty using education and how their efforts were reflected in the promotion of SDGs. Nonetheless, recommendations were made on how both the countries could improve in their ODA contributions.