Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 8: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent visit to the United Nations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34485/08]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I travelled to New York to attend the UN High Level Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on 25 September to re-affirm commitments to reaching the MDGs by 2015.

The United Nations High-Level meeting marked the half way point of the pledge given in 2000 to halving world poverty by 2015. At the invitation of the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, world leaders took stock of achievements already made, acknowledged what remains to be done and re-energised their commitments to meeting the MDGs. During the meeting I made an intervention, focused on the topic of poverty and hunger and re-affirmed Ireland's commitment to the MDGs.

I participated in a lunchtime round table discussion co-chaired by Prime Minister Rasmussen of Denmark and President Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, and including the U.N. Secretary General, on the theme of MDG 3 — Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment.

While in New York, I also launched the Government's Hunger Task Force Report in the presence of the U.N. Secretary General and members of the Task Force including former Minister for Agriculture Joe Walsh, Jeffrey Sachs and Bono. The Hunger Task Force was established last year to look at ways in which Ireland could best deliver genuine progress and a sustainable impact in the fight against hunger. I also met with Bob Geldof on the margins of this launch.

During my visit I also had meetings with European Commission President Barroso and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.