The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Charlie Flanagan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland. The Secretary-General congratulated Ireland on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Ireland’s membership to the United Nations.

They discussed the importance of 2015, not only for such notable milestones, but also because of the holding of three critical world events in the course of the year:  the Addis Ababa meeting on financing for development in July, the adoption of a new set of sustainable development goals and a post-2015 development agenda in New York in September and the Paris Climate Change Summit in December. The Secretary-General emphasized the need for political will and commitment on the part of member states to adopt a bold, transformational approach to the three issues of development, environment and climate change. He counted on Ireland's active support in that regard.

The Secretary-General and Mr. Flanagan also discussed the Middle East Peace Process and the challenge of burgeoning migration flows and displaced people around the world.

The Secretary-General commended Ireland for its leadership role in the post-2015 process, as well as for its active engagement in development assistance, humanitarian action and in the UN's work on peace and security, including peacekeeping, conflict prevention and mediation. He expressed appreciation for Ireland's strong commitment to human rights, including through its dynamic membership in the Human Rights Council.