Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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198. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the position Ireland took regarding the appointment of Annalena Baerbock as UNGA President, particularly in light of her role in providing diplomatic and political support to Israel as it has engaged in mass murder in Gaza; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29993/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Elections to international bodies are typically decided by secret ballot. This was the case in the recent election for the Presidency of the United Nations General Assembly. In a setting such as the UN, an approach of this type facilitates the conduct and management of sensitive international relationships.

With regard to the crisis in Gaza, Ireland, in cooperation with other Member States, is pursuing multiple initiatives at UN level.

At the 10th Emergency Special Session on 24-26 October 2023, Ireland was among the first countries in the world to call for a ceasefire. This contributed to momentum towards the eventual call by the General Assembly for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, in a Resolution adopted by an overwhelming majority in December 2023.

At the resumed Emergency Special Session in May 2024, shortly before Ireland recognised the State of Palestine, Ireland strongly supported a Resolution to upgrade Palestine’s rights at the UN as an Observer State and urged the Security Council to give “favourable consideration” to Palestine’s request for full membership.

Ireland is currently playing a lead role in the preparations for the UN High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the two-State Solution, which is to be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia in New York later this month. At the Conference, Ireland will co-chair a Working Group, alongside Türkiye, focused on preserving the two-State solution. We hope that the Conference will be a decisive moment for the international community.

Ireland is and will continue working at the United Nations to support a resolution to the conflict and to bring an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.