Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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142. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the status of Ireland's bid and attempts to seek a seat on the UN Security Council as and from 2021. [39563/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland’s candidature for election to the United Nations Security Council is a central foreign policy priority. Our candidature, for election in the Western Europe and Others Group, was first announced in 2005. We are one of three candidates for the two available seats in this group, at an election in June 2020. The other two candidates are Canada and Norway.

Along with colleagues across Cabinet, I am taking every opportunity to raise our candidature with representatives of Member States and to convince them of the value of Ireland taking our place and playing our part on the Security Council.

In making Ireland’s case, we are highlighting our principled commitment to the value of multilateralism and the importance of the issues being addressed by the global community in relation to peace and security.

Across Government and across Ireland’s diplomatic network, we are highlighting our consistent approach at the UN over more than six decades of membership, including our support for and involvement in disarmament, human rights, sustainable development, humanitarian action and peacekeeping.

If Ireland were elected to a non-permanent seat on the Security Council our fundamental approach across all agenda items would always be to advocate for and support decisions and policies based on the core values of our foreign policy-justice, equality, peace and security and sustainability.

Ireland’s campaign was officially launched in July 2018 at an event at the UN Headquarters in New York. Such launches are an expected part of campaigns for election to the Security Council.

Just last week, Ireland took the opportunity of the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly High Level Week to further promote our candidature in New York to the wide and diverse membership of the UN. During that high level week at the United Nations, An Taoiseach, Minister of State Cannon and I met with a large number of Heads of State and Government and Ministers and received a strong hearing on our campaign principles of Empathy, Partnership and Independence.

Following the successful co facilitation of the Mandela Peace Summit Declaration by Ireland and South Africa, the Taoiseach addressed the Mandela Peace Summit. Ireland was honoured to be asked to co facilitate the work on the declaration with South Africa.

Throughout the week, my colleagues and I attended a number of events on themes of disarmament; women, peace and security; and climate justice. I reiterated the firm support of Ireland for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNWRA) and our increased financial support for that vital agency. I deposited Ireland’s instrument of ratification of the Amendments to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on the Crime of Aggression, agreed in Kampala, with the UN Secretary General. I reconfirmed our commitment to achieving the UN target of providing 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income for Official Development Assistance by 2030. I committed Ireland to increasing our overall investment in education to a minimum of €250 million over the next five years.

Through all of these interactions, and the extensive range of meetings which will take place over the coming 20 months, UN Member States will be very aware that Ireland will continue our strong efforts for election to the Security Council with the 192 other UN Member States.