Fergus O'Dowd
Question:38 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the international organisations of which Ireland is a member; and the procedures used to set out the Government's objectives and priorities in these bodies. [26511/02]
Written Answers. - Membership of International Organisations.
Since the establishment of the State, Ireland has been committed to upholding a multilateral approach to international relations, based upon the equality of states and the rule of law. This commitment has been expressed through our membership of, and active participation in, international organisations such as the United Nations. Membership of these organisations has enabled us to promote the interests, values and objectives which we have traditionally held to be important. These values include respect for universal human rights, democracy and a rule-based international system, collective approaches to security and conflict prevention and sustainable development of the least developed countries.
In pursuance of our foreign policy objectives, we remain committed to the primacy of the UN's role in promoting constructive international relations. Our membership of the UN and other international organisations, including the OSCE, Council of Europe and WTO, affords us the opportunity to advance views on equal terms with other countries on issues such as the peaceful settlement of disputes, the protection of human rights and trade regulation.
Our current membership of the UN Security Council, which comes to a close at the end of the year, has enabled us to demonstrate the contribution which a small country can make. Our active commitment to the UN will continue to be demonstrated from January 2003 through, inter alia, membership of the UN Commission on Human Rights, ECOSOC and the co-ordination board of UNAIDS.
The pursuit of foreign policy objectives in international organisations has also been enhanced by our membership of the EU, which has provided a framework for co-operation and co-ordination with our EU partners across a broad range of issues.
Ireland has permanent missions to the United Nations in New York and Geneva, to the OSCE in Vienna and to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Our embassy in Vienna is accredited to the UN agencies and other international organisations based in Vienna and our embassy in Paris is accredited to the OECD. These offices enable the Government to follow developments in the respective international organisations and to pursue our interests and objectives in them. As and when necessary, I and my colleagues in Govern ment travel to meetings of international organisations to present the Government's position on issues of particular interest to Ireland. The work of various international organisations is also followed through EU working groups in Brussels, in which Irish officials actively participate, and where positions are co-ordinated across a range of issues.
The following is a list of international organisations of which Ireland is a member:
United Nations
World Trade Organisation
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development
Council of Europe
International Monetary Fund
World Bank.
UN specialised agencies are classed as international organisations by virtue of having their own founding statutes. They achieved UN specialised agency status through agreements drawn up between the UN and ECOSOC. They include the International Labour Organisation; Food and Agriculture Organisation; UNESCO; World Health Organisation; United Nations Industrial Development Organisation; International Monetary Fund; International Civil Aviation Organisation; Universal Postal Union; World Bank Group; International Telecommunications Union; World Meteorological Organisation; International Atomic Energy Agency; Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation, CTBTO; Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, OPCW; International Maritime Organisation; World Intellectual Property Organisation; and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Other international agencies include the International Organisation for Migration. With regard to observer status, the Western European Union should be considered.