Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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103. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the main policy achievements and initiatives undertaken by his Department during 2021; and his main priorities for 2022. [62195/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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This year my Department published its new Statement of Strategy for the 2021-2023 period which outlines in more detail the key priorities for the period, and frames our efforts to protect and promote the values and interests of Irish citizens, at home and abroad.

Over the past year, my Department has continued to make an important contribution to the Government response to the pandemic, particularly in strengthening information flows across Government on global developments and trends, which have informed critical decision making. This work will continue next year as required.

Ireland is a committed member of the European Union and during 2021 my Department has been working with our European colleagues to support each other during this time of crisis, and as we rebuild our economies. This year, a new strategy to increase Irish representation in the European Union's Institutions and Agencies, was also launched. All of this work will continue and deepen in 2022 and beyond.

My Department will work to protect the island of Ireland from the worst effects of Brexit, and as the inextricably linked histories of Ireland and Britain enter a new phase, we will foster enhanced links between our States to protect and strengthen our bilateral relations.

A key priority of Government is the commitment to work with all communities and traditions on the island of Ireland to build consensus around a shared future. This consensus will be underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement and by absolute respect for the principle of consent.

Membership of the UN is a cornerstone of Ireland’s foreign policy and in January this year, we took up our seat on the UN Security Council for the 2021-2022 term. At a time of ever-more complex global threats, only coordinated international action and collaboration will bring about solutions. At the outset, the Government set out three overarching principles for Ireland’s membership of the Security Council: building peace, strengthening conflict prevention, and ensuring accountability. Throughout the year, including during our successful presidency of the Council in September, we have been engaging actively across the full Security Council agenda, which includes some 30 country and regional files and 20 thematic files. Ireland has been particularly engaged in work on the humanitarian situation in Syria, the deeply concerning situation in Ethiopia, the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal), Climate and Security, Women, Peace and Security, and Peacekeeping. We have also held leadership roles on Somalia sanctions and the UN Office in West Africa and the Sahel, and we played an active role in the Council’s response to the crisis in Afghanistan, as well as a range of other pressing issues on the Council agenda.

Delivering first class consular and passport services to our citizens will remain an essential priority. Our global diaspora remain an integral part of the wider Irish family and my Department will continue to work with them in maintaining and deepening this vital relationship. This includes through continued support to Irish communities abroad as they too manage the impact of the pandemic.

Recognising the significance of the transatlantic relationship between Ireland and the US, which is set out in the US Canada Strategy 2019-2025, we have worked successfully to strengthen our diplomatic, cultural, and economic relationship with the US at all levels in 2021. This will remain a central priority for Government in 2022.

Ireland’s Overseas Development Assistance programme is an essential element of our overall foreign policy and national presence overseas. The Government is committed to reaching our goal of contributing 0.7% of GNI on overseas development cooperation. In 2021 we have continued efforts to support investment in public health, by way of response to the pandemic. Next year we will continue to provide support for those countries that are poorest and most vulnerable to climate shocks and ensure that climate change is included as a core theme in strategy development where Ireland has a significant development cooperation programme including Small Island Developing States.

Our Missions abroad are charged, among other things, with promoting Ireland, identifying new markets and opportunities for Irish business, and protecting and supporting Irish citizens. We will continue to implement the Global Ireland Strategy, which includes the commitment to double our global footprint by 2025. In 2021, new Embassies opened in Morocco, the Philippines and Ukraine and a Consulate General in Manchester. New missions provide enhanced capacity to support Irish citizens abroad, as evidenced recently by the repatriation of Irish citizens managed by the newly-arrived team in Rabat. Next year, work will continue to support the opening of a further three consulates in Miami, Lyon and Toronto, as well as an Embassy in Senegal.

The implementation of Global Ireland also sees my Department building and utilising other platforms to promote Ireland across the world. For 2021, major achievements included the delivery of a successful Irish pavilion and theme at EXPO2020. Also, amidst considerable limitations to in-person St. Patrick’s Day activity, my Department developed and managed an expansive and substantive digital programme. For 2022, we will build on these efforts and deliver a safe and meaningful celebration of St Patrick's Day around the world.