Published on Saturday24thSeptember2016

Minister Flanagan Addresses UN General Assembly on Ireland’s Foreign Policy Priorities

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Minister Flanagan with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan today addressed the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the culmination of a weeklong series of engagements with leaders and foreign ministers from around the world.  Following his speech the Minister will meet with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. 

In his address to the 71st UN General Assembly, Minister Flanagan focussed on the UN’s potential to resolve the current migration crisis, arguing that no country could resolve the crisis alone.  He stressed the need for an approach that tackled immediate triggers such as conflict as well as the need to address root causes.  The Minister argued that the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, agreed by the UN’s 193 members a year ago, would address the underlying causes of the migration crisis by ending poverty, reducing inequality, and responding to climate change. 

Read the Minister's speech here.