Mick Barry
Question:136. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. [41730/23]
View answerTuesday, 3 October 2023
Questions (136)
Written answers
I had a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on 18 September while in New York for UN General Assembly high-level week.
The Secretary General thanked Ireland for its strong and sustained support for the United Nations as the core of rules-based international order.
We discussed the Summit on the Sustainable Development Goals which we had both addressed earlier that day, and we agreed the urgent need for the global community to redouble efforts to achieve the Goals by 2030. As I said in my address, while we are clearly not where we would wish to be at this half-way point, with the necessary drive and leadership we can still reach the targets we have set ourselves.
The Secretary General and I also discussed Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, including Russia’s decision to pull out of the Black Sea grain initiative which the SG had helped to put in place. We agreed that this was particularly damaging for the worlds’ vulnerable people who are already experiencing food insecurity. We also agreed the importance of holding those responsible for war crimes to account.
The Secretary General spoke about the UN Summit on the Future to be held next year, and I agreed with him on the need for reform to make the UN, including the Security Council, more reflective of today’s world. I offered Ireland’s support and assistance in advancing this work.
I took the opportunity to recall the tragic loss of Private Sean Rooney and the importance to his family and colleagues of establishing the full facts of the case.