The Secretary-General met today with H. E. Mr. Charles Flanagan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland.

The Secretary-General expressed his condolences for the death of former Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds.  He thanked Ireland for its contribution to UN peacekeeping, in particular the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO). He also thanked Foreign Minister Flanagan for his country’s leadership on climate change.

The two interlocutors welcomed the appointment of Mary Robinson as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Change.  The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister discussed progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals and ongoing efforts to define a post-2015 development agenda.  They also discussed the international response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.  The Secretary-General appealed to Ireland to provide additional support to these efforts, wherever possible.

Finally, the Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister exchanged views on the situation in Syria and Iraq and the fight against ISIL They both welcomed Security Council Resolution S/RES/2178, dated 24 September 2014, on “Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts”.