Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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74. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to report on her Department's engagement with COP30; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66498/25]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to the achievement of the objective of the UNFCCC and the goals of the Paris Agreement. This is the appropriate multilateral mechanism to address the causes and consequences of climate change. Ireland takes a whole of Government approach to climate action and to the COP process.

Officials from my Department were fully engaged with the COP30 process, and formed part of the delegation at the conference in Brazil, together with officials from a range of government Departments and agencies. Attendance at COP is led and coordinated by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.

On 11 and 12 November, I attended COP in Belem and undertook a range of engagements with our development partners, as well as bilateral meetings with senior government representatives, including the Minister of the Environment of Brazil.

Officials from my Department were engaged throughout the conference across a range of EU negotiating teams on several priority areas for Ireland. These included collective efforts to reduce global emissions, bolstering adaptation action to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate, and the Gender Action Plan and just transition. Our Embassy team in Brazil, led by our Ambassador played a key role in supporting this work, providing political guidance and facilitating engagement throughout.

COP30 marked a key milestone for Team Ireland. As we prepare for our EU Presidency next year, we also prepare to chair and lead the COP negotiations on behalf of the EU in Turkiye at COP31 next year. Preparations for our EU Presidency and leadership in Climate Action is already well underway in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the handling of COP30 provided an important learning experience for these preparations.