Written answers

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Department of Foreign Affairs

Millennium Development Goals

10:00 am

Photo of Mary UptonMary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 77: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the meetings he plans to hold in preparation for this year's review of the world millennium development goals; if he will provide further consideration to caucus meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29647/10]

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 380: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs which sections of his Department will be represented on the official delegation to the UN ten-year review of the millennium development goals in New York in September. [29243/10]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 380 together.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by Heads of Government at the Millennium Summit in 2000 provide the framework for international development up to 2015. Progress on the MDGs will be reviewed at a UN Summit in New York in September. The Government has been actively engaged at the UN and with our EU partners to ensure that, working together, developed and developing countries can maintain their commitments to the world's poorest people in the face of increased global challenges and continuing international economic difficulty. Ireland is playing an important role in the preparations for the Review Summit.

The Report on the MDGs for 2010, which was launched recently by the UN Secretary General, notes that much progress has been made and that, through nationally-owned development policies and plans supported by international partners, the MDGs can still be achieved by 2015. However, progress remains too slow and in some cases progress has been eroded by the global financial, economic and food crises since 2007.

The Government has taken a lead internationally to focus attention at the Summit on the continuing scandal of global hunger. We have made the point strongly at meetings in Europe, Africa and the United States that slow progress on the first of the MDGs, the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, is not only a scandal in itself, but is impeding progress across the whole range of development goals. We are also arguing that priority be given to those regions and groups that are making the slowest progress, in particular those most vulnerable to extreme poverty and hunger in sub-Saharan Africa, which is the primary geographic focus of the Government's aid programme.

Ireland played a major role in the preparation of a strong EU position for the Summit. Two weeks ago the Foreign Affairs Council adopted Conclusions focusing on increasing the direct engagement of developing countries in achieving the MDGs, improving the effectiveness of development efforts and mobilising resources for development.

Nationally, we are also preparing with the US Administration for the organisation of a joint High Level Forum which I will chair with Secretary of State Clinton during the Summit to promote a comprehensive international approach to the global hunger crisis. This will highlight the need to link agriculture, food security and nutrition programming in order to provide a realistic and sustainable solution to world hunger. We are also consulting closely with Irish and other development NGOs in advance of the Summit.

The Government is determined that Ireland will play an important role at the New York Summit, in line with the effectiveness and international reputation of our development programme. I will ensure that the composition of the delegation from my Department will reflect this foreign policy priority.

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