Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 52: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on UN reforms that the Government intends to promote and the steps it will take to promote them in view of outcomes of the UN 2005 World Summit. [26933/05]

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 60: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his recent attendance at the UN World Summit in New York; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26883/05]

Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 63: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the ongoing work being carried out on behalf of the UN General Secretary Mr. Kofi Annan; if such work has been completed; if so, the conclusions reached and if not, the priorities which are being addressed. [26855/05]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 89: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he regrets the dilution of Secretary General Annan's proposals for reform of the UN at the 2005 General Assembly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27055/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 52, 60, 63 and 89 together.

The Taoiseach and I, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, represented Ireland at the UN 2005 World Summit which took place in New York from 14 to 16 September. As Deputies are aware, I was invited by Secretary General Annan to act as one of five envoys mandated to present the case to governments for the wide-ranging recommendations contained in his report, In Larger Freedom for decision at the Summit, and to help lay the groundwork for a summit outcome that would reinforce the multilateral system and enhance the capacity of the United Nations to address the threats and challenges of the 21st century. In that role, I held discussions with 46 foreign minister colleagues and engaged with the media wherever possible on my visits. I am satisfied that my role and that of the other envoys made a positive contribution to the summit's outcome. My formal role as envoy ended at the conclusion of the summit but I will continue to take a close and active interest in the issue of UN reform and particularly in the implementation of the agreements reached at the summit.

The Secretary General's recommendations for decision were based on the premise that without development there can be no security, without security there can be no development, and without respect for human rights there can be neither. The Secretary General's recommendations for decision were based on the premise that without development there can be no security, without security there can be no development, and without respect for human rights there can be neither. While the summit did not achieve on this occasion everything Ireland and other like-minded countries would have wished, the outcome document agreed by leaders at the summit nonetheless contains important commitments and agreements on critical issues in the areas of development, security and human rights. It also sets out a programme of reform of the UN and of its secretariat to equip it better to meet today's challenges and to help enhance political and public confidence in the organisation.

The outcome unequivocally commits states to the millennium development goals and to implementing the mutual obligations on development contained in the 2002 Monterrey consensus. Donor countries agreed to step up efforts on official development assistance, financing for development and debt. Developing countries are committed to ensuring the effective use of assistance through sound policies, good governance and the rule of law, as well as through the implementation of comprehensive national development strategies and the management of their public finances in an effective and transparent manner. The potential of trade liberalisation in the promotion of development is also recognised, as is the need to meet obligations on sustainable development and on climate change.

It is a matter of particular satisfaction to the Government that the imperative to meet the special needs of Africa and to combat HIV-AIDS and other communicable diseases was acknowledged.

As Deputies will be aware, the Taoiseach in his address to the summit committed Ireland to reaching the UN ODA target of 0.7% of GNI by 2012, three years ahead of the EU target, and to reaching an interim target of 0.5% by 2007.

The summit reached important decisions in the area of security. It reaffirmed the authority of and primary responsibility of the Security Council to mandate coercive action. It supported the efforts of the EU and other regional bodies to develop peace support capacities, including for rapid deployment, stand-by and bridging arrangements.

For too long, countries in a post-conflict phase have not received the necessary help from the UN and the international community to strengthen their institutions and economies so as to avoid a return to strife. The decision to establish a peace building commission by the end of this year to mobilise resources for this purpose, and co-ordinate their application on the ground is therefore greatly to be welcomed.

The General Assembly has been mandated to complete and adopt a counter-terrorism strategy on the lines of that proposed by the Secretary General and to conclude without delay the negotiation of a comprehensive international convention on terrorism.

Leaders reaffirmed universal human rights and agreed on the need to strengthen the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations. For the first time they collectively acknowledged the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity. This agreement on the responsibility to protect is an important concrete achievement of the summit. They decided to double the budget of the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, to enable it better to assist states to implement their obligations to their citizens in this area.

The summit decided in principle to establish a human rights council to replace the Commission on Human Rights. Negotiations on its establishment are to be completed as soon as possible in the 60th session of the General Assembly, although some difficult issues remain outstanding. A key concern for Ireland is that the positive aspects of the CHR, in particular the involvement of civil society, should be preserved in the new body. The summit agreed to strengthen the human rights mechanisms of the UN through a doubling over five years of the budget of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The summit also supported the Secretary General in his efforts to strengthen the UN's secretariat and its management, and invited him to come forward with further proposals in this regard. Ireland and its EU partners are working together with like-minded countries to ensure that the General Assembly moves as rapidly as possible towards the implementation of these commitments and decisions. I will remain closely engaged with the UN reform process.