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The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, today addresses the ‘Invest in Ireland’ forum in New York.

He thanked President Clinton for helping organise the event which some of the most important and influential chief executives in the United States attended.

President Clinton offered to host today’s event when he attended the Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin last October.

That Forum was a terrific event, when over 200 members of the Global Irish Network returned to Ireland to offer their advice, assistance and ideas as we work to rebuild our country and our economy.

It is terrific to see so many members of that Global Irish Network among the audience here today. I know that you are committed to Ireland, and I hope that by the actions we in Government are taking to restore confidence, rebuild the economy and create opportunities for employment that you will be proud ambassadors for our country.

The Taoiseach outlined the reasons for consideration of Ireland as an economy for investment:

“Wages are lower, and labour is more plentiful: our unit labour costs are expected to show an improvement of 20% relative to the euro area as a whole between 2008 and 2013.

Real estate – both commercial and residential – is significantly more affordable than just a few years ago.

Our exports are booming: we recorded a 9% annual increase in unadjusted exports in November, the second highest level on record. Overall, exports amounted to over 100% of GDP last year.

Investment in research and development has trebled in the past decade and we are committed to continued investment in this key area.

These factors have made Ireland even more attractive for the many multinational companies who already recognise the value we offer: the quality of our workforce, the business-friendly environment, the ease of access to European and wider markets, the quality of life for ex-pats and other employees….

He noted Ireland’s international reputation as a business friendly economy:

The IBM Global Location Trends Report placed Ireland first in the world in terms of the value of projects and investments it attracts.

The World Bank's annual "Doing Business" report for 2011 found Ireland to be the most supportive business environment in the euro area.

According to Ernst & Young, we are the most globalised in the western world, and second globally.

80% of the top global banks have operations in Ireland.

9 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies are in Ireland.

8 of the top 10 technology companies are in Ireland and we are increasingly the location of choice in Europe for new economy, 'born-on-the-internet' companies, such as Google, Twitter and Paypal.

The Taoiseach noted the importance of investment in the countries economic recovery.

I know that the Irish people have been going through tough times lately. The adjustments that have to be made, to get our public finances back on track, are difficult but necessary.

I want Ireland to be the best small country in the world in which to do business by 2016.

I want it to be the best small country in which to raise a family, to study, to work and to grow old.

In the next few weeks, we will launch several new initiatives to keep us on track towards our goals.

We will have a new Action Plan for investment, growth and jobs, to create 100,000 jobs over the next five years.

We will launch a new programme – Pathways to Work – to help ensure that each unemployed person is assessed and offered opportunities for training to learn new skills and improve their employment prospects.

And we will launch an innovative project called Succeed in Ireland under which people who generate new jobs back home in Ireland will receive a special job creator fee.