Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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570. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade what Ireland's policy priorities are in its engagement with the United Nations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15799/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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This year marks the 60^thAnniversary of Ireland’s membership of the United Nations. UN membership and a commitment to multilateralism is central to Irish foreign policy. The principles and values enshrined in the UN Charter are principles and values that Ireland holds dear. In line with our commitment to providing leadership at the UN, Ireland will seek election to the Security Council in June 2020. Ireland’s key strategic priorities in its engagement with the United Nations are outlined in the recently published foreign policy document The Global Island. Ireland will remain a key contributor to UN and UN-mandated peacekeeping operations and will continue to contribute to developing UN policies and structures to enable it to more effectively maintain international peace and security. Ireland will contribute to the UN Review of Peace Operations this year and will continue to support and advance the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect

Ireland will continue to play a leadership role on disarmament and will renew efforts to protect and strengthen the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We will also continue to promote the conventions dealing with chemical and biological weapons and support the implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions and the Arms Trade Treaty.

On Security Council reform, Ireland consistently advocates for a more representative, efficient and transparent Security Council, through our membership of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency grouping and through support for the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council Reform

Ireland will promote the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security, in particular the participation of women in peace building, and efforts to counter gender-based violence.

The commitment of Ireland to the promotion and protection of human rights is a foreign policy priority for the Government. Ireland’s term of office as a member of the UN Human Rights Council will conclude at the end of 2015. In this remaining period and beyond, we will continue to pursue our national initiatives on civil society space and preventable mortality and morbidity in children under five, and to promote our human rights priorities which include freedom of expression both online and offline, freedom of religion and belief, Human Rights Defenders, the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals, gender equality, rights of the child and the right to education.

Ireland is co-facilitating intergovernmental negotiations at the United Nations to agree a framework for global development to succeed the Millennium Development Goals beyond 2015. Ireland’s key priorities for the post-2015 Development Agenda have been the fight to end hunger and under nutrition, gender equality and women’s empowerment, good governance and rule of law. We have advocated for strong goals and targets in each of these key areas.

Finally, Ireland will continue to seek efficient and effective management of the UN and its financial resources in the pursuit of these priorities.