Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 162: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if it is his intention that Ireland, through Irish Aid, will use every opportunity our aid programme presents to promote and support the recent resolution of the UN Commission on Population and Development regarding Adolescents and Youth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24945/12]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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The theme of this year's session of the UN Commission on Population and Development was 'Adolescents and Youth'. This was particularly timely, given that the number of young people globally has now reached an all time high of 1.2 billion. The session focused on key challenges in meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people and adolescents, in line with the commitments made by the international community at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Maternal mortality, HIV prevalence and the unmet need for contraception all remain high among the 15 - 19 year age group in developing countries, most notably in sub-Saharan Africa. Providing reproductive health care services and information to young people is therefore vital for progress in achieving international development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

Ireland fully supports the comprehensive and forward-looking Resolution which, significantly, was adopted unanimously by the Commission. I very much welcome the emphasis in the Resolution on the key importance of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and on the need for governments to ensure access by young people to sexual and reproductive health care services, comprehensive evidence-based education on human sexuality and sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention, treatment and care programmes. These are areas to which Irish Aid attaches particular priority and which we support on an ongoing basis through our development cooperation programme. In particular, through Irish Aid, the Government has a long standing relationship with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), whose work in the area of sexual and reproductive health is increasingly focused on meeting the needs of young people. Since 2006, Ireland has provided almost €34 million in core and project funding to UNFPA. Ireland will be a member of UNFPA's Executive Board in 2013 and I look forward to working closely with them on the full implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action as we reach its 20th anniversary.