First of all, Mr. President, may I congratulate you on your election and wish you well in the months ahead.
Upon its formation earlier this year, the Irish Government set itself the goal of becoming a model Member State of the this great Organization. We have set out an ambitious programme to be a …
Let me begin by congratulating you, Madam President, on your appointment and assuring you of Ireland’s full support for the coming year.
This session of the General Assembly is the last under the stewardship of Secretary-General Annan. I salute his achievements and pay tribute to his leadership. He…
When I stood at this rostrum five years ago, I committed the Irish Government to spending €30 million per year on the fight against AIDS. Ireland has more than lived up to
the commitments I made. Through our national programme of development assistance, Irish Aid, we have spent over €250 million in…
Sixty years ago, our predecessors, having adopted the United Nations Charter, made sure that the United Nations immediately got down to work. We need to act now with the same urgency.
In the face of the profound challenges that confront the world — some of long standing, some new — our heads of Sta…
Ireland’s support for the United Nations is unwavering. We have always placed the United Nations at the very centre of our foreign policy. Many Irish soldiers have served under the blue flag, and many have sacrificed their lives in that noble service.
The United Nations is, and will remain, fundame…
For the United Nations and the system of collective security that it represents, the past year has been a traumatic one.
Our Organization could ill afford the loss of the dedicated and experienced members of staff who were killed by an act of terrorism in Baghdad on the 19 August. I do not diminish…
Throughout the 45 years of our United Nations membership, Ireland has been an unwavering supporter of this Organization. We have consistently valued its achievements, even if we have sometimes been frustrated by its shortcomings or grieved by its failures. We have striven to take the opportunities a…
