Willie Penrose
Question:72 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's priorities for the UN millennium summit in New York in September 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16849/00]
Written Answers. - UN Millennium Summit.
The UN millennium summit will take place in New York on 6-8 September next and the Taoiseach will lead the Irish delegation. The summit's overall theme will be "The Role of the UN in the twenty-first century". The Secretary-General presented his report for the millennium summit to the General Assembly on 3 April. The report entitled "We the Peoples: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century" is intended to facilitate preparations of member states for the forthcoming millennium summit.
The Secretary-General has identified some of the pressing challenges faced by the world's population and he proposes a number of immediate priorities for consideration at the summit itself. Heads of State and Government are urged to take action in areas such as poverty, water, debt relief, education, HIV-AIDS, slum clearance, youth employment and information technology. The Secretary-General also urges the summit to make special provision for the needs of Africa, and to fully support Africans in their struggle to overcome the continent's problems. In addition, the Secretary-General calls for a renewed focus on conflict prevention and disarmament and on respect for international law. The adoption of a new ethic of conservation and stewardship of the environment is also identified as a priority.
The Secretary-General's report highlights a number of key international development targets focused on the alleviation of extreme poverty. He also calls on the heads of State and Government to ensure that the process of globalisation, which will characterise the first decade of the new millennium, benefits all people and does not exacerbate existing international inequalities. Two issues of particular importance identified in the report are the potentially disastrous consequences of the unchecked spread of the HIV-AIDS pandemic, particularly in sub Saharan Africa and the need for action to overcome the growing divide between developed and developing countries in the use of information technology.
In our view, the report offers a broad and ambitious agenda for consideration in the lead-up to, and during, the summit. It identifies the challenges facing world leaders at the dawn of the new millennium. In particular, it seeks to foster international support for concerted action to reduce the current unacceptable level of extreme poverty, particularly in Africa. These objectives are fully shared by the Government. We will work to ensure the success of the summit which should, in our view, produce, a short, political and action oriented outcome designed to carry forward the agenda identified by the Secretary-General.