Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

As well as these direct promotional activities, I will avail of all appropriate opportunities to advance Ireland's economic interests that may arise in my own foreign travel schedule, whether linked to my role as chairman of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, or other bilateral engagements.

While our focus is necessarily on domestic economic revival, our commitment to tackling the challenge of promoting peace, security and human rights in the world is undiminished. Globally, regionally and in the neighbourhood of the EU, Ireland has always made its contribution, both in our bilateral relations and in multilateral fora. We continue this tradition in 2012 with our chairmanship of the OSCE. With 56 member states covering a population of more than 1 billion, the OSCEis not only the world's largest intergovernmental regional security organisation but also its most regionally diverse. The organisation has a network of 17 missions in the Balkans, eastern Europe and central Asia. In my capacity as chair-in-office I addressed the OSCE's permanent council in Vienna on 12 January. I underlined that Ireland would adopt a pragmatic and fair-minded approach to ensure balance and coherence in the work of the organisation. I will address the United Nations Security Council next week on the priorities of the Irish chairmanship.

In regard to the human dimension of the OSCE, we have an ambitious agenda. We intend to prioritise the issue of Internet freedom, in particular as it applies to new digital media. As in other parts of the world, the threat to freedom of expression online is ever present in the OSCE region and appears to be growing. During our chairmanship, we will organise events focused on freedom of association and assembly, freedom of religion and belief, combatting trafficking in human beings and racism and intolerance in sport. As chair-in-office, I am working closely with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which carries out important work in relation to election monitoring. I acknowledge the work being done today by Senator Jim Walsh, a member of our delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly. I had a good meeting with the president and secretary general of the assembly during their visit to Dublin yesterday and I look forward to continued co-operation throughout the year.

In the politico-military dimension, we hope to ensure continued progress on the updating of confidence and security building measures and enhancement of the OSCE's conflict prevention capacity. We will take forward work which will enable the OSCE to deepen its involvement in all phases of the conflict cycle and to strengthen its capacity to tackle conflict, from prevention to resolution. Within the economic and environmental dimension, our core theme will be the promotion of security and stability through good governance. We firmly believe that weak and ineffective governance undermines economic development and exposes states to greater security risks. As chairman, I will work with others to promote lasting settlements to a number of conflicts in the OSCE area. As is usual practice, I have appointed two special representatives to assist me in this regard. Ambassador Padraig Murphy, a former senior diplomat, is my special representative for the South Caucasus, dealing in particular with Georgia and the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He will also have a secondary role on Nagorno-Karabakh. Ambassador Erwan Fouere is my special representative for the Transdniestrian settlement process, dealing with the efforts to resolve a longstanding conflict in Moldova with the breakaway region of Transdniestria.

In taking up these challenges, we will draw on our own experience of successful conflict resolution. On 27 April, I will host a conference which will focus on Northern Ireland as a case study, aiming to explore aspects which might be applicable to conflict situations in the OSCE area. I believe we can encourage those engaged in negotiations elsewhere to persevere in their efforts by showing that it has been possible to create and build peace in Northern Ireland and by explaining how this was achieved.

The key event of the year will be the OSCE ministerial meeting which is scheduled to take place from 6-7 December in Dublin. This event involves participation by all 56 member states and 12 partner states at Foreign Minister level. It will be the largest gathering of Foreign Ministers ever to take place in Ireland. As chair-in-office, I will work hard to pursue the principles and aims of the OSCE. It is an honour for Ireland to have this unique opportunity to make a tangible contribution to the promotion of European peace and security. We will also reap significant benefits from the chairmanship, including a significantly raised EU and international profile. It gives us an opportunity for close and sustained engagement with major international players, such as the US, Russia, France and Germany.

Ireland's commitment to peace and security extends much further than our immediate neighbourhood. In recent days I visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories I met with President Abbas and Foreign Minister Malki in Ramallah and with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor and Foreign Minister Liberman in Jerusalem. My visit afforded me the opportunity to be briefed on and see for myself how the occupation impacts on the ordinary Palestinian population. I had lengthy and constructive discussions with all the leaders I met on both sides, to whom I made clear Ireland and the EU's continuing strong interest and commitment to doing everything possible to support current peace efforts.

In my discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu, I particularly emphasised the importance of Israel taking decisive action in relation to ending the blockade of Gaza and the urgency of Israeli restraint in relation to further settlement expansion. A primary concern for Ireland in our approach to the situation in the Middle East is the need to defend the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the local population. Ireland's commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights has been, and will continue to be, a central component of our foreign policy. It forms the background to the campaign now under way to secure election to the Human Rights Council,the United Nations' principal human rights forum. Ireland is a strong supporter of the United Nations as a community of nations working together to advance the values enshrined in the United Nations Charter. We champion the vital role which the United Nations plays in safeguarding and advancing human rights. The contribution which Ireland can make to this work will be considerably strengthened if we become a member of the Human Rights Council. To this end, we are seeking membership from 2013 to 2015 in elections which will be held later this year. Our candidature for the Human Rights Council is fully in keeping with the commitment in the programme for Government to restore Ireland's standing as a respected and influential member of the international community. Our clear message is that economic woes have not diminished our tradition of protecting vulnerable people. We are strongly committed to keeping the fight against global poverty and hunger at the heart of Ireland's foreign policy. We do so not only because it is the right thing to do, reflecting the values and sense of solidarity of the Irish people with those who face extreme poverty and hunger elsewhere, but because it is in our own interest, as an outward-looking nation whose future depends on the strength of our political, economic and cultural partnerships worldwide.

Our newly-launched Africa strategy will enable us to further our engagement on these issues. The strategy contains proposals to build on our strong relationships on that continent, relationships that are mutually beneficial to Ireland and Africa and which foster true partnerships. Over the coming year we will roll out the implementation of this strategy, using our embassy network in Africa to maximum effect. Development co-operation still matters. It can and does make a difference. Internationally, Ireland's aid programme is regarded as one of the most focused and effective. Our priorities in 2012 are to build on that through our work with partner governments, civil society organisations and through the UN system. In particular, we will work to further strengthen our leadership role in combating hunger and malnutrition.

We need also to learn from what works best in delivering results on the ground for poor people and to set out clear priorities for our aid programme over the coming years. This is the reason we are currently undertaking a review of the 2006 White Paper on Irish Aid. We will publish the review later this year, following engagement in a wide consultative process. The review will give us a real and valuable opportunity to recalibrate the aid programme to take into account the lessons learned over the past five years. I look forward to working with the Oireachtas in this regard.

Ireland's commitment to multilateralism is fundamental to restoring its reputation on the global stage. It shows us to be a nation that cares, that perseveres despite economic restraints, a nation that can be trusted to hold fast to its principles and overcome challenges and a reliable country with which to do business. On that subject, the Taoiseach and I will next week attend the "Invest in Ireland" event hosted by President Clinton in New York city as a direct outcome of the Global Irish Economic Forum to encourage new US investment into Ireland. The Global Irish Economic Forum held in Dublin Castle last October was very successful and has already contributed to our economic recovery and to projecting a positive image of Ireland abroad. While in the US, the Taoiseach and I will also meet with the US Administration at senior levels and with both parties in the US Congress, to continue to press for immigration reform. Addressing the situation of the undocumented Irish and reforming our migration arrangements with the United States remain important priorities for the Government. Next week's discussions will build on contacts that we have had with President Obama, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and Senator Patrick Leahy, chair of the Senate judiciary committee. Discussions will focus on recent welcome legislative proposals in this area, such as allocating E3 visas to Ireland and working with the Irish-American immigration community, we will use the opportunity to encourage the bipartisan support required for the legislation to be successful.

I take this opportunity to brief the House on developments in the EU and priorities for the year ahead. As Senators will be aware, on Monday evening the European Council reached agreement on two important documents, a statement committing leaders to a programme of work aimed at ensuring jobs and growth and the text of a new treaty on stability. Both are important issues for Ireland. Both are vital to economic recovery and are very welcome. It is, of course, true that much, if not most, of what is contained within the new treaty already exists in European law, whether through the Stability and Growth Pact or through the six legislative measures to strengthen it which were adopted last year. However, setting this out in a treaty and adding a small number of important new elements, including the need for each country to have an automatic correction mechanism that kicks in if it is in danger of breaching the rules, takes our commitment to shared discipline to a new level. For a small member state like Ireland this is important and welcome.

Following this week's meeting of the Government, I have now written to the Attorney General seeking her formal views on whether a referendum will be required to enable Ireland to ratify this treaty.

The Attorney General will study the legal implications carefully and will advise on what steps are necessary in due course. There is no deadline. It is important that she has whatever time she needs to undertake this important work. This House may rest assured that whatever path towards ratification is required, the Oireachtas will be fully involved in the process. It is also important to place the new treaty in the right context. It is part of the jigsaw but not the full picture. We must focus on growth and jobs and must ensure that we have convincing and robust firewalls in place. In this regard, the statement of the European Council on growth last Monday was very welcome, as is confirmation that the European Council will return to the question of the adequacy of the resources under the EFSF and the ESM when it next meets in March.

I again wish to express my thanks for this opportunity to brief the Seanad on my priorities in 2012. It is a full agenda but one that my Department and I are fully committed to discharging to the best of our ability. In so doing, I am conscious of the role played by the Oireachtas in foreign affairs and it is important to have a chance to discuss matters of such significance to Ireland and Europe in this House.