National Statement by Minister Darragh O'Brien at the UN High-level Political Forum

Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates,

(Check against delivery)

This year, as we mark the 70th anniversary of Ireland's membership of the United Nations, we reflect on and reaffirm our long-standing commitment to the multilateral system - with the UN Charter at its core.

Multilateralism has driven our most successful efforts, as an international community, to address the interlocking crises of climate change, conflict, hunger, injustice, inequality and humanitarian need.

Such challenges remain monumental however and require that we urgently redouble our efforts to achieve the vision of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. The range, complexity, and crosscutting nature of global challenges demands a coordinated approach at both national and international levels.

The Political Declaration of the SDG Summit in 2023 and the Pact for the Future, and its annexes, adopted last year, warned about the risk of leaving millions behind. In response we came together to commit to a renewed vigour in our action.

It is vital that we translate these commitments into reality.

There are opportunities for us to bring life to our words as was the case at the recent third United Nations Ocean Conference; the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development; the upcoming thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; as well as the Second World Summit on Social Development.

We must integrate these frameworks into policy at all levels - including through the work of this Forum, to reach the furthest behind first and leave no one behind.

Building on the consensual adoption of the Pact, UN80 provides an opportunity to make the UN more impactful and financially stable, enabling it to better serve the needs of all people - to refocus the work of the UN and its organisations on their unique expertise, avoiding duplication, fragmentation and overlaps, while increasing coherence, coordination and impact.

Ireland welcomes the opportunity to work together with all partners and stakeholders to support the UN80 initiative. HLPF should remain as an essential platform for assessing progress, understanding challenges in addressing specific Goals and reinforcing how the SDGs are interlinked and interdependent.

Ensuring ongoing and meaningful stakeholder engagement through the involvement of civil society, private sector and under-represented groups, as well as women and youth voices, academia and regional and local governments is crucial to ensure successful, inclusive and equitable outcomes.

Living up to the promise of 2030 Agenda is a shared responsibility. Effective cooperation among all actors will lead to more practical, inclusive, and adaptable solutions, accelerating progress towards achievement of the SDGs.

Thank you.