Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to appear before the committee today seeking approval to proceed with the ratification of the EU LAC Foundation international agreement, following the referral of the relevant Dáil motion to the committee yesterday. Members will be aware that in February last year, Ireland's strategy for the Latin America and Caribbean region was launched under the Global Ireland initiative.

The strategy contains more than 60 commitments mapped to five key objectives, covering political, economic, development co-operation, cultural and diaspora-based engagement with the countries of the region. The strategy is delivering a sea change in terms of Irish engagement with the Latin America and the Caribbean, LAC, region and the vast majority of its commitments are already undergoing implementation.

A key commitment in the strategy is to ratify the agreement that establishes the EU-LAC Foundation as an international organisation. This agreement was signed by Ireland back in 2016. As members are aware, the EU-LAC Foundation is made up of the members of the EU and the community of Latin American and Caribbean states, CELAC. Its principal objective is to strengthen the bi-regional partnership and it conducts a range of initiatives across a host of priority themes in order to do this. Its key lines of action, which chime with Irish and EU priorities for the relationship with the LAC region, include education, climate, gender, multilateral co-operation, culture, science, technology and innovation, and social and economic development.

We are one of just two member states yet to ratify the agreement. It is important to ratify it as soon as possible. Ratification will send a clear signal to EU and CELAC partners around the value we place on the bi-regional relationship and the work of the foundation.

Like Ireland, the EU has also been prioritising enhanced engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean. As part of the efforts to step up engagement, an EU-CELAC leaders summit will take place in Brussels in July this year, with the Taoiseach scheduled to attend. Ensuring that the EU-LAC Foundation agreement is ratified by Ireland before the summit is of great importance.

For all of these reasons, approval of the committee to proceed with ratification of the agreement is sought today. I would be happy to answer any questions from committee members on the issue and I thank them all sincerely for their time.