Speech by Tánaiste Simon Harris at Lunch for Diplomatic Corps for National Day of Commemoration

13 July 2025, Dublin Castle

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From Local Memory to Global Action

Introduction

Your excellences, Dean, members of the diplomatic corps, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen.

A very warm welcome to the more than 80 diplomatic missions represented here today.

It is my pleasure to host you at Dublin Castle to mark Ireland’s National Day of Commemoration.

A day when we honour the Irish women and men who lost their lives in war, or in the service of United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Ladies and gentlemen, in his most famous poem, “A Soldier’s Grave”, Francis Ledwidge wrote with solemnity and compassion about the horror of war:

"Then in the lull of midnight, gentle arms

Lifted him slowly down the slopes of death

Lest he should hear again the mad alarms

Of battle, dying moans, and painful breath."

Ledwidge would go on to lose his own life in Belgium in 1917.

His words are a compelling call to avoid having to re-learn the lessons of the past, and instead focus on building peace and prosperity for this generation, and the future.

Ireland’s values

Ireland came onto the world stage as an independent voice in the early period of the last century. Our evolution as a Republic was contemporaneous with the horrors of the World Wars. Our values and outlook as a nation were shaped at this time.

Article 29 of Bunreacht na hÉireann commits Ireland to international law. We are a country that believes in the peaceful settlement of disputes, the protection and promotion of human rights, and sustainable global development.

These values are also synonymous with our interests. As a small, militarily neutral country, our interests have been well served by an international order built on peaceful cooperation, liberalised trade, and increasing, if uneven, global prosperity.

The rules-based international order allowed us to amplify our influence, most clearly by pooling some sovereignty with our European Union partners.

In a year’s time, we will play a significant international leadership role during our eighth Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Ireland’s vision is to have a foreign policy that is outward-looking, future-oriented, open and resilient.

In the same way as new Missions from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Sierra Leone have opened in Ireland in the last 12 months, we are committed to building our global presence and influence through the Global Ireland Strategy. Since 2018, we have opened 27 new diplomatic Missions. I am committed to building on the success of Global Ireland through a successor Global Ireland 2040.

Centrality and defence of the rules-based international order

Ladies and gentlemen, the rules-based international order, centred on the UN Charter, has been the cornerstone of Irish foreign policy. And while it has never been the perfect construct, we cannot allow it to fail or to fade into irrelevance.

But there is clearly a sense of disillusionment. This is felt strongly in parts of the world that have seen less prosperity, more inequality, more conflict, or greater repression of human rights—although it is also present in the most advanced countries too. We can all recognise the sentiment.

We know the multilateral system needs to reform. Needs to adapt to a rapidly changing world. To be more effective and more representative.

The case for international cooperation is stronger than ever. We are facing unprecedented levels of conflict and fragility, and a climate and biodiversity crisis.

Also, if properly harnessed, we stand on the cusp of a potentially transformative moment because of the role of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies can play in our societies.

Tearing down the global order and its structures of cooperation will not remove the need for us to find shared solutions. These issues are too complex for any of us, even big countries, to solve alone.

That is why Ireland will be centrally involved in efforts to reform the multilateral system, including through the UN80 initiative of the UN Secretary General. There is real urgency to these efforts and we will seek to shape them in line with our values and interests.

Ireland has consistently played its role in upholding the multilateral system.

We see this in the long tradition of service by the women and men of the Defence Forces in UN peacekeeping.

We see this in our emphasis on ensuring accountability for violations of international law during our recent term on the UN Security Council.

Ladies and gentlemen, we find ourselves at a time of global uncertainty and geopolitical challenge.

It is these challenges that underline the urgent need to recommit to diplomacy and an openness to mutual understanding. When we choose dialogue, not only can we bring an end to fighting, but we can also lay the groundwork for lasting peace.

We here in Ireland know this from our personal experience.

Peace is not an ideal; it is a duty.

One we bear not just when times are easy, but more importantly when they are hard. We owe this to those who came before us. To those who gave their lives in the cause of peace. To those we gather here today to remember.

We owe it to those least able to protect themselves now. The reality of conflict is families torn apart and children caught in the crossfire, unimaginable trauma for generations.

It is homes, schools, and hospitals reduced to ruin. It is lives lost, futures ruined and opportunity destroyed.

Civilian deaths in conflict surged globally by 40% in 2024. Women and children are affected disproportionately, with violence directed towards them in armed conflicts doubling from 2023 to 2024. These are chilling statistics.

International law is clear: civilians must always be protected. They cannot be targets. When violations occur, they must be met with accountability, not impunity. Human rights are universal and must be upheld and respected.

Yet we see basic rights under challenge in many parts of our world.

Voices of intolerance seek to sow discord and division among us, based on race and ethnicity, faith or belief, gender and sexual orientation. These voices deny our shared humanity.

Ireland will work tirelessly to defend and promote human rights if elected to the Human Rights Council for the 2027–2029 term.

This September, we will gather in New York to mark 80 years since the foundation of the UN. The rules-based international order, underpinned by international law, remains our greatest hope for a more peaceful, stable world.

This is why for Ireland, our commitment to multilateralism is as strong as when we proudly joined the UN seventy years ago.

In the decades since, there has been 67 years of continuous participation in UN peacekeeping.

This is a source of deep pride to me, and I know to Irish people across the country. I had the privilege to visit the women and men of the Defence Forces serving in UNIFIL in Lebanon earlier this year, and see the vital role they are playing.

We salute their bravery today, as we also honour the memory of all those who served—and sacrificed—before in the cause of peace.

Through our diplomacy, our humanitarian and development assistance, and our peacekeepers, Ireland will continue to be a strong, consistent and principled advocate for peace.

Concern at the levels of international conflict: Ukraine, Sudan

As we gather here, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine is not only ongoing, it is intensifying. In the past weeks, we have seen, night after night, brutal Russian air assaults on Ukraine’s towns and cities, on its civilian infrastructure, and on its people. These are not the actions of a country interested in peace.

We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Russia’s war is a threat to Europe’s security. It is also a conflict with global impacts - on food and energy supplies, on supply chains, and commodity prices. Too often, it is those in our global community least able to respond who are impacted the most by the negative effects of Russian aggression.

It has undermined the UN Charter, the rules-based order, and the principle that borders cannot be changed by force. This should concern us all.

As we approach our EU presidency, Ukraine will remain a priority for Ireland and the European Union. Ireland will continue to advocate for strong EU support for Ukraine - political, humanitarian, economic, and military - as it continues to defend itself.

We are providing non-lethal military assistance, so that Ukraine can defend itself from these attacks. We will work for progress in Ukraine’s EU accession process, which will be an important guarantee of Ukraine’s future stability and prosperity.

While Europe is beset by conflict, we also have a responsibility to maintain a focus on the brutal conflicts in other parts of the world.

The conflict in Sudan continues to inflict devastating consequences for the civilian population. Over 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes and over 25 million people are in acute food insecurity, with some facing famine.

Ireland has been raising the urgent need for sustained pressure in support of a cessation of hostilities and a return to negotiations, and for increased and flexible humanitarian funding.

Together with the EU, we will continue to engage actively on the crisis through all diplomatic channels available, and, in particular, to advocate for a single mediation process, ideally led by the African Union.

Middle East

The cause of peace in the Middle East - for Israelis and Palestinians, and for the people of the region as a whole - is one that is dear to the Irish people.

Over many years, we have sought to make a positive contribution: through our active engagement at the UN; through the dedicated work of our peacekeepers; through our membership of the EU; through the work of our humanitarian programmes; by sharing the experience of the journey towards peace and reconciliation on this island.

Our wish is to see a future in which Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side, in peace, dignity, and security, through implementation of the two-State solution.

A future in which both States are integrated into a region of peace and prosperity. We are far from that future today, but we must continue to believe it is possible, and work towards it.

We must also work to address the tragic consequences of aggression. There are appalling scenes in Gaza, where the catastrophic humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.

More than 56,000 people have been reported killed and over 132,000 injured. Behind these stark numbers are scenes of unconscionable suffering, both physical and psychological.

Israeli hostages remain in captivity. Their suffering and that of their families is unimaginable. Ireland has consistently called for the unconditional release of all hostages. I repeat that call today, as I repeat our condemnation of all that Hamas has wrought on the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

I am also clear that the Israeli response in Gaza is disproportionate and a clear breach of international law.

The current volume and pace of aid deliveries into Gaza under Israel’s partial easing of its blockade remains insufficient. It is an affront to any accepted understanding of the operation of humanitarian aid. Mass casualty incidents near militarised aid distribution centres have killed hundreds of people trying to get food.

Let me be clear – life-saving aid must never be weaponised. Israel must allow a full resumption of aid in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles. And it must allow UN and humanitarian organisations to work independently.

We urgently need a return to a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

I thank Egypt, Qatar, and the United States for their continuing efforts as mediators. I urge all involved to redouble their efforts to reach an agreement.

An agreement to silence the guns. To release the hostages. To allow desperately needed humanitarian aid into Gaza at scale.

Peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland

Our history on this island has been marked by oppression, by poverty, and by violence. But ultimately, we have been determined to move past those things.

Our experience has been that the most intractable conflicts can be resolved, through a painstaking commitment to negotiation, dialogue, and compromise.

Of course, our memory of a difficult history informs our identity and commitment to a rules-based international order, oriented towards peace and prosperity.

I am part of a generation for whom the Good Friday Agreement is an early, defining political memory. It was clear to me even in April 1998 what an extraordinary moment it was.

First and foremost, for the people of Northern Ireland. It has brought an end to the horrific violence that had ripped them apart.

And it has built new strands of cooperation North–South on the island of Ireland, and between the Governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

That is not to say that progress has been linear. Or that there have not been setbacks. The Good Friday Agreement is 27 years old and we have still yet to fully exploit it.

It has been a long journey. A journey that is not yet at an end.

This November marks the 40th anniversary of the precursor of the Good Friday Agreement, the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which was an important staging post.

It established a relationship of partnership between Ireland and the United Kingdom, recognising the Irish Government’s legitimate interest in Northern Ireland.

While the partnership between the governments has not been without its challenges, it is indispensable to peace and reconciliation on this island.

The partnership is stronger now than it has been for a long time. This year we had the inaugural UK–Ireland Summit in Liverpool in March, and with it, a renewed commitment to unlock the full potential of the Good Friday Agreement.

On this island, we have seen first-hand what you will all know instinctively—that new futures are possible, if we are bold enough to imagine them and prepared to work together to build them.

Peace must be built and owned locally. But international friends are indispensable.

At difficult moments in our peace process, many of Ireland’s friends have played a key role in moving things on. I am thinking, for example, of the role that has been played in Northern Ireland by successive US administrations. For that support and partnership, I thank you all.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, the message I want you to take away from this event today is that we can face the challenges before us, as other generations have, and build a better future together.

The threats to the global order are many and perhaps greater than at any other time in recent memory.

Most of the world’s problems are too big for any one of us, even big countries, to face alone. This is why it is imperative that we work together, using the rules-based international system, to find shared solutions. We owe it to those who came before us and gave their lives in the service of peace. We owe it to the citizens of our countries. And we owe it to future generations.

I now ask you to join me in raising your glasses to the Heads of State represented here today.