Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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243. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on Ireland's position with regard to the proposed United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, UNPA; the stage the movement is at to create an UNPA; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30880/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is steadfastly committed to the United Nations and the principles and values of the UN Charter.

As a strong supporter of the UN, Ireland continues to advocate, through a range of fora, for reform of the UN’s structures and systems to ensure that it is better equipped to respond to the challenges of the twenty-first century. In the context of this wider engagement on UN reform, proposals which aim to improve the effectiveness of the UN and the contribution it makes to global governance are of interest.

I have noted in this regard proposals for the establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly. Ireland remains open-minded about the concept of such an assembly. I believe that any proposals in this direction should provide added value to the multilateral system and have broad support among UN membership.

As the concept of a UN Parliamentary Assembly develops, we will consider how Ireland can best engage on this proposal and others in the area of UN reform.