Minister of State for Development Joe Costello is to press Ireland's case for a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council during a five-day visit to Ethiopia this week.
Mr Costello is to attend the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on Thursday and Friday, where he will be meeting with government ministers from a number of countries.
Ireland is seeking election to the influential body for the first time this year but faces competition from the US, Germany, Sweden and Greece for one of the three seats.
The Human Rights Council is an intergovernmental body within the UN consisting of 47 member states. The council was created by the UN General Assembly in 2006 for the purpose of addressing human rights violations, replacing the much-criticised UN Commission on Human Rights.
The council assesses the situation of human rights in all 192 UN member states through what is known as the “universal periodic review”.
Speaking ahead of his visit to Ethiopia, Mr Costello said he was hopeful of gaining support from Africa for Ireland's election bid.
“This is the first time that Ireland has sought election to the Human Rights Council. Given Ireland’s strong record in working to improve human rights and the commitment of this Government to tackling human rights abuses around the globe, membership of the Council would provide us with a strong platform to further our work in this crucial area," he said.
Mr Costello is visiting Ethiopia to assess the impact of the Government’s development programme.
The Minister will be visit Tigray in the north of the country, where Ireland supports a programme to provide cash or food in return for vital environmental works which improve agricultural productivity.
The Irish Aid programme in Ethiopia is focused on tackling hunger and improving the provision of health services to the poorest communities.
According to Irish Aid, the environmental work which Ireland supports in Tigray has not only helped to protect 7.5 million people from hunger, but has also supported the building of thousands of terraces and small dams which conserve water and soil and improve the productivity of the land, ensuring that farmers’ yields are improved.
During his visit Mr Costello will also meet the country directors of Irish aid agencies including Concern, Goal, Trócaire and Self Help Africa, which receive substantial funding from Irish Aid to support their work in Ethiopia.
