Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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7. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on the engagements associated with his attendance at the United Nations seminar on Sustainable Development Goals. [41462/23]

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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13. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on his recent engagements at the UN; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41807/23]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to be associated with every word the Ceann Comhairle has said and welcome our Ukrainian friends. Unfortunately, I was not able to meet them at the joint committee because of the timing clash with these questions, but they are very welcome to this Chamber and we are honoured to have them here.

My question is to ask the Tánaiste if he will report on his engagements during his attendance at the UN Seminar on Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I also join in welcoming President Stefanchuk. We met in Strasbourg, I think, last year and in other locations. I salute his commitment and the extraordinary diplomatic work he and his colleagues have been undertaking. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has been everywhere lobbying and advocating for the Ukrainian people against what is a terrible, immoral and illegal war and invasion.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 13 and 32 together. I travelled to New York from 16 to 20 September for a series of meetings as part of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, high-level week, which included the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, summit. UNGA high-level week, which takes place in September every year, is an opportunity to highlight our foreign policy priorities and engage directly with the UN system and partners on issues of mutual concern.

It is vital that we address climate change, global health challenges, food security and financing for sustainable development collectively. It is also essential that we commit as an international community to get the SDGs back on track, as well as to address global peace and security issues, including Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, and defend the UN charter. Ireland was active on all these issues during UNGA high-level week. Ireland played a leadership role at the SDG summit as a co-facilitator, along with Qatar, to negotiate the political declaration adopted by the summit. Being asked to take on this role demonstrates the respect and trust placed in Ireland by the UN leadership and the 193 UN member states.

In addition to attending the opening of the SDG summit and the general debate, I delivered Ireland’s national statement to the high-level dialogue on financing for development. I addressed the high-level session on food systems transformation at the SDG mobilisation day on 17 September. I delivered keynote remarks at two events co-hosted by Ireland: an event on global solidarity with Afghan women, which was co-hosted by the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan, along with Ireland, Canada and Indonesia; and the women, peace and leadership symposium co-hosted by the International Peace Institute, IPI, and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. At the global solidarity event, we heard directly from several Afghan women, both inside and outside the country, and listened to their perspectives on how the international community can continue to support the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, including the right to education.

I also participated in an EU foreign ministers' meeting, in the International Peace Institute’s annual ministerial working dinner on the Middle East and at a ministerial event on the Middle East peace process to launch the Peace Day initiative. I signed a landmark international agreement on global ocean conservation on behalf of the Government, the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, BBNJ, the first global treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of the high seas. I also launched a new publication in New York, On an Equal Footing With All: Ireland at the League of Nations 1923-1946,which was developed in partnership with the Royal Irish Academy, the National Archives, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Department of Foreign Affairs as part of the Government’s decade of centenaries programme.

I also had an extensive programme of bilateral meetings and engagements with the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and the foreign ministers of Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iraq, Lebanon, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, UAE, as well as with the President of the General Assembly, the director general and executive director of the World Health Organization, WHO, Samantha Power, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, and former President Mary Robinson and her fellow members of the Africa Europe Foundation's women leaders network.

Along with the Taoiseach, I had the opportunity to briefly meet President Biden at a reception he hosted with Dr. Jill Biden, and I spoke to several members of the US Administration at that event, including in relation to Northern Ireland. As part of a programme organised by the Consulate General in New York, I also attended an Irish community reception and briefed a number of Irish-American leaders on the situation in Northern Ireland.

Ireland was also represented at many other events during the high-level week by the Taoiseach, Deputy Leo Varadkar, as well as the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The Taoiseach addressed the opening ceremony of the SDG summit on 18 September and delivered Ireland’s national statement during the general debate on 22 September.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Tánaiste. When he was marking the UN International Day of Peace last week, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said, "Peace is needed today more than ever. War and conflict are unleashing devastation, poverty and hunger and are driving tens of millions of people from their homes. Climate chaos is all around". We know the SDGs are one of the best tools we have not only to address inequality, poverty and global poverty, but perhaps the most constructive tool we can wield in response to the scourge of war and climate change.

Agreed in 2015, the SDGs were an important part of rededicating the international community to address these challenges. We know that one of the best ways Ireland can contribute to meeting these objectives is, of course, through development aid contributions. When will we get to the point of reaching 0.7% of our gross national income, GNI, being allocated as official development aid, as we have committed to?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I again pay tribute to our team at the UN, including Ambassador Mythen. I do not often mention particular civil servants, but I refer to John Gilroy, who was there in 2015 at the formulation of the SDGs and during the working up of that document. He was there again this time in regard to the rebooting and re-energising of the SDGs. This reflects respect within the UN system for Ireland and our values in respect of world hunger, in particular, given our own historical experiences.

We, that is the world, are off track significantly. Only about 15% of the 169 targets are on track. While recent crises have inhibited the achievement of the SDGs, progress towards the goals was already slowing down and uneven. The need for progress, therefore, is urgent. Ireland and Qatar worked to gain consensus. This was complex, but we managed to do it, especially concerning international finance. We will see significant moves, I would like to think, in reforming the international financial architecture to support developing states.

We are making progress here towards achieving our commitment to 0.7% of GNI. Our GDP rises more than most, but, nonetheless, we have made significant progress over the last two years and we will continue to do this. We are one of the few countries, in the context of the Ukrainian war, to maintain and increase overseas development aid separately from our commitments to Ukraine.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I reiterate the point that our development aid is the advertisement of our commitment. It is where people can actually put our commitment to the SDGs to the test. Another undertaking the Government has given concerns climate financing, which runs across the responsibilities of the Departments of Foreign Affairs; Finance; Agriculture, Food and the Marine; and the Environment, Climate and Communications. One of the difficulties, however, in assessing our progress in this regard is the fact that, according to my understanding, the 2022 workings in terms of the total figures concerning our climate financing position are not available. Will that change so that we can have more reliable and up-to-date reporting in terms of the figures concerning climate finance?

10 o’clock

On humanitarian aid, I listened closely to the response by the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, to an earlier question. I welcome the Government's support to Morocco and Libya. Is a mechanism being considered to streamline all of the measures outlined in the lengthy answer to Deputy Howlin? The Government needs to be much clearer regarding the provision of humanitarian aid and whether, if such aid is required at short notice, it can be released quickly and visibly.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There are two points to make. First, on climate finance, we have given a commitment that by 2025, we will be making an annual contribution of €225 million, which was a commitment I gave at COP26. The target is to reach that sum within that timeline. As a country, we have given a commitment. The Government formally took a decision on it. We need to see it realised.

On the broader issue, as the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, referenced, the most effective way to contribute is through UN emergency funding. Ireland is one of the higher contributors to the UN's central emergency response fund. When a disaster happens, we do not see Ireland's name on the fund, because it is the UN emergency fund, but it is the right thing to do. Rather than making declarations and pledges when a disaster happens, it is far better that there be a UN mechanism. We have allocated funding to that mechanism, which facilitates immediate deployment of resources to a disaster area. We also have deployed goods and stocks, including tents and all sorts of equipment, in Dubai and Brindisi in Italy for onward movement to a disaster site, which can be done quickly when required.