A senior Irish diplomat has been appointed as joint chair of a key working group established to devise a blueprint for the reform of the United Nations.
Paul Kavanagh, the Irish permanent representative to the UN, has been appointed co-chair of the working group on UN reform by the president of the General Assembly, Srgian Kerim.
The task of the working group is to promote greater coherence in the efforts of the UN system worldwide.
"I am confident Ambassador Kavanagh will do a first-class job, for Ireland as well as the United Nations, in this important role," the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, said yesterday.
"Ambassador Kavanagh brings to his new responsibilities unparalleled experience of the United Nations, having worked for a decade and a half in key positions with three successive UN secretaries general. He has worked closely with me as Ireland's Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva and at the European Union in Brussels. He had a central role in Ireland's campaign for election to the security council in 2000 and subsequently in our delegation on the council," said Mr Ahern.
He added that while continuing reform was under way at the United Nations, greater coherence was required across its broad system of agencies, funds and programmes.
"In this way, the UN will better serve all of its member states and peoples in need," said the Minister.
Fine Gael spokesman Billy Timmins congratulated Mr Kavanagh on his appointment.
"Paul Kavanagh is the ideal person for this job. He has worked with the UN for many years, intimately knows how the giant organisation works, is au fait with its merits and, more importantly, its shortcomings.
"Fine Gael is of the view that the UN needs to be dramatically reformed and I am confident that Mr Kavanagh will play a key part in this. However, for true reform to take place, we have to look at the number of permanent members and on the veto concept. I also hope that the Government would give time in the new Dáil session to debate the issue of UN reform," said Mr Timmins.
At the intergovernmental level, the process of consideration of recommendations for UN reform began under the chairmanship of Barbados and Luxembourg. Ireland and Tanzania will take over this chairmanship and will address a wide range of issues, including accountability, transparency and cost effectiveness within the UN system.
