merrion street

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charles Flanagan TD, will today (Thursday) host a Symposium to mark the 60th anniversary of Ireland’s admission to the United Nations. Participants will include former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former President of Ireland and UN Special Envoy on Climate Change Mary Robinson, and UN Special Representative for International Migration Peter Sutherland. The theme of the event is “Reflecting on the Past, Preparing for the Future”.

Speaking ahead of the event, Minister Flanagan said:

“This Symposium is the culmination of a year-long programme that has been organised by my department to celebrate 60 years of Ireland at the United Nations. It is significant that an Irishman, Peter Sutherland, and an Irishwoman, Mary Robinson, currently hold the roles of the UNSG’s Special Representatives in two areas which pose huge challenges to the global community – migration and climate change – and I am delighted that they are both here today, along with former UNSG, Kofi Annan.”

Ireland’s two UN Youth Delegates, Orla Murphy and Eoin O’Liatháin, will also participate in the Symposium event. Noting their participation, Minister Flanagan said:

“This year was the first time that Ireland appointed Youth Delegates for the UN General Assembly. Eoin and Orla travelled to New York to participate in the Assembly as part of Ireland’s official Delegation. They represented the interests and concerns of young people in Ireland wonderfully and their participation in this event on Thursday will ensure that we are listening to the voice of Irish youth who are, after all, the future of Ireland’s involvement with the UN.”

The Symposium will also mark the Irish launch of a specially commissioned anniversary exhibition, Ireland's First Years at the United Nations 1955-1957, produced in collaboration with the Royal Irish Academy and the National Archives. Commenting on the exhibition, Minister Flanagan said:

“The anniversary exhibition highlights how many of the foreign policy priorities and positions of principle established during Ireland’s early years of UN membership have effectively shaped the contours of Irish foreign policy to the United Nations to the present day. We can be rightly proud of the contribution Ireland has historically made, and continues to make, to the United Nations.

"Although the world of 2015 is vastly different from the world of 1955, Ireland’s commitment to the United Nations is as steadfast as it was 60 years ago. We can be proud of the positive and tangible impact we have had so far, and of the principled approach we have taken to international relations through the United Nations.”



Note to Editors:
• Ireland was admitted to the United Nations with 15 other States on 14 December 1955. The other states admitted were: Albania, Jordan, Portugal, Hungary, Italy, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria Finland, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Nepal, Libya, Cambodia, Laos and Spain.
• For more information on the UN60 events that have taken place please see www.dfa.ie/UN60
• The schedule for the anniversary exhibition is as follows:
18 December 2015 - 08 January 2016: Dublin Airport, Terminal 1
10 January 2016 - 15 January 2016: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson St, Dublin
18 January 2016 - 15 February 2016: Cork Airport