Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Programme C, which was previously programme B, covers the contribution of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade towards a more just world through the promotion and protection of human rights internationally and a more secure world based on a stable and secure rules-based international environment. Over 71% of current expenditure under this programme is made up of contributions to international organisations.

On UN and other contributions, my Department’s commitment to international peace, security and human rights is channelled through programme C, which has a total allocation of €55.8 million in 2017.

This compares with €60.4 million in 2016 and represents a reduction of €4.6 million on the Revised 2016 Estimates, which were increased last November, as committee members will recall, by way of a technical Supplementary Estimate to cover additional contributions to the UN, in particular relating to peacekeeping, and to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, to meet Ireland's full obligations in 2016 to these organisations.

Much of the expenditure under this programme relates to Ireland’s mandatory contributions to international organisations of which we are a member, including the United Nations. The 2017 Estimates reflect the best estimate, at this time, of mandatory contributions due in 2017. It should be noted, however, as we saw last year, that the challenge in forecasting the UN peacekeeping budget in particular, which is the largest part of our payments to the UN, is never an easy one. It is difficult to estimate this in advance as existing peacekeeping operations may be expanded, reduced or further developed, depending on the circumstances, or a new one might be established. In addition, UN contributions are invoiced in US dollars and therefore are subject to currency fluctuations.

Ireland is seeking election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in June 2020 for the 2021 to 2022 term, a candidacy we declared in 2005. We will base our campaign on Ireland's foreign policy credentials and strong international standing at the UN. We continue to engage closely with the UN and other multilateral partners, such as the OSCE and the Council of Europe, which is very important to us. We make contributions to the work of our multilateral partners in targeted policy areas, including peacekeeping, conflict resolution and conflict prevention, international development, disarmament and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. We will continue our efforts to make the UN and other multilateral institutions more effective in facing global, regional and development challenges.

Disarmament and non-proliferation issues will remain a priority in 2017, building on our active engagement and participation in the international disarmament and non-proliferation process. Ireland will play an active role in negotiations at a forthcoming UN-mandated diplomatic conference to negotiate a new legal instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading to their total elimination. These negotiations will begin in New York next month.

We continue to advance human rights priorities, building on our successful membership and solid record of achievements at the UN Human Rights Council following our two-year term on the council which ended in 2015.

A key pillar of our international engagement under programme C is our input into the shaping and formulation of the European Union's common foreign and security policy, CFSP, most notably at the monthly meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council in which I participate and to which I made reference earlier in my reply to Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan.

There is no denying this is a time of great concern and some frustration for the Middle East peace process. The process has somewhat stalled. We will continue to argue for strengthened international focus and more intensive international action, in the first instance through our membership of the EU. This is what I have been doing at the Foreign Affairs Council, most recently in the meetings in January and February. I was pleased to participate as an invitee to an international Middle East peace process conference in Paris in January.