Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 March 2026
102. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide an update on the content of the monthly briefings provided by the UN Secretariat to member states on the implementation of the UN80 Action Plan process of reform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22792/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI very much welcomed the UN80 reform initiative launched by UN Secretary General Guterres in March 2025. As the Deputy is aware, the initiative is designed to be a system-wide process to reform the organisation across each of the three pillars of the UN: Peace and Security, Sustainable Development, and Human Rights. Ireland has stressed that reform cannot come at the cost of UN core values and that each of the three pillars should be protected.
It is also essential that the UN’s Members demonstrate the political will necessary to assist the UN Secretary General in this process, to enable the organisation to adapt and improve. With this objective, Ireland, through our Missions in New York, Geneva, and other UN centres, and also in cooperation with our partners in the EU, is actively engaging with the reform process across all three work-streams of the UN80 initiative.
On work-stream one, identifying efficiencies and improvements in the way the UN works, Under-Secretary General Guy Ryder, in his most recent briefing, noted substantive administrative updates which have taken place to date, including the centralisation of the UN’s joint payroll operations into three global centres.
In relation to work-stream two, on the implementation of mandates, my Department’s officials have been actively involved in this process since it began in September 2025. At present, our Permanent Mission to the UN in New York are engaged with the co-facilitators on three key issues in relation to the "lifecycle" of UN mandates: firstly, mandate review, secondly, the role of the Secretariat, and thirdly the Member State’s responsibilities.
Under Workstream three, examining structural changes and programme realignments including potential mergers, the UN Secretary-General has agreed to create a single consolidated report which will outline both the progress made to date and the decisions ahead. This report will be presented to UN Chief Executives Board for Coordination in May 2026, and afterwards to Member States at the General Assembly.
At all times, Ireland has sought to play an engaged, supportive and cooperative role in the process, and we will continue to do so.
