The Taoiseach told the UN General Assembly that Ukraine deserves the unconditional support of every UN member state and that Russia and its leaders deserve full condemnation, reports RTE.
Leo Varadkar also said it was time to show the world that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were more than just aspirations.
Presenting the country’s statement to the UN General Assembly, the Prime Minister said that climate change and its impact on the world’s food supply are undeniable and essential for countries to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.
“The devastating effect of climate change is contributing to increasing numbers of humanitarian crises, with record numbers of people in need of humanitarian assistance. We have seen the stalling – and, in some cases, the reversal – of progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals we collectively agreed to implement,” he said, reports RTE.
Mr Varadkar said Ireland had implemented 80% of its national Sustainable Development Goals program. The global average is just 15%.
He said Ireland had committed to spending €225 million a year on climate finance for developing countries from 2025, up from €149 million this year.
Ireland’s experience with famine has prompted the country to devote particular attention to food, agriculture and nutrition and will spend about €300 million this year on programs in these areas, he said.
“We allocate over 90% of our country-specific humanitarian expenditure to the most severe crises. We have increased our expenditure on global health by over 15% in the last three years. And we are consistently amongst the top three donors in the proportion of our official development assistance allocated to promoting gender equality,” Mr Varadkar said, reports RTE.
On Ukraine, Mr Varadkar said Russia had engaged in an imperialist and brutal attack on its small, defenceless neighbour, warning other countries that “when one aggressor prevails, its peers elsewhere take note and become emboldened, threatening all”, reports RTE.
“We have known for decades the parameters of the only just solution: a two-state solution, with a viable Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, living in peace and security alongside the state of Israel, who’s right to exist should be accepted and respected by all its neighbours,” Mr Varadkar said, reports RTE.
The Prime Minister said Ireland supports reform of the UN Security Council by abolishing the permanent veto power of the five members and expanding membership to better reflect today’s demographic and political situation.
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