Overview
USAID administers USG assistance (annual congressional appropriation) to the International Fund for Ireland (IFI or Fund). The IFI was established in 1986 pursuant to an agreement between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Its objectives are to promote social and economic advancement and to encourage contact, dialogue, and reconciliation between nationalists (Catholics) and unionists (Protestants) throughout Northern Ireland and the six border counties of Ireland. Implementation of those objectives is achieved through projects financed and overseen by the Fund. The United States has been the leading contributor to IFI, having appropriated $532 million for IFI since its founding by the British and Irish governments in1986. $2.5 million in additional funding has been requested for IFI for fiscal year 2012. Currently, IFI projects are roughly equally funded by the US and EU.
The primary U.S. interest in Northern Ireland and the border counties is promoting an end to sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. The decommissioning of the Irish Republican Army and the Northern Ireland Assembly’s resumption of operations in 2007 are positive steps toward achievement of that goal. Yet, much remains to be done, especially in the areas of education and housing.
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