Our United Nations partners

Ireland’s relationship with the United Nations (UN) is based on our commitment to multilateralism. We believe collective action and a rules-based international order is the best way to build a better world for all.

Working with the UN is central to supporting peace, human rights and development.

Ireland’s response

Our support for UN agencies allows us to draw on their expertise and influence to tackle issues such as poverty and climate change.

It allows us to respond quickly to crises, including in countries where we don't have a presence. This helps us to address emergency and development needs in more than 130 countries, focusing on reaching the furthest behind first.

The UN plays a crucial role in implementing and monitoring progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs inform and guide our development programme.

We have a strong relationship with all our UN partners, both at headquarters and in the partner countries where we work. We believe in working together to deliver real benefits for vulnerable people.

We are represented on the governing bodies of many UNs agencies, working with them to develop their strategies and priorities. We also help to ensure that financial, evaluation and auditing systems are as effective as possible.

Our UN partners include a wide range of agencies.

UNDP, established in 1965, is the largest UN development organisation, with a presence in 170 countries and territories. UNDP aims to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and build resilience by supporting countries’ progress towards high human development, while protecting the planet and leaving no one behind. UNDP works with countries to expand people’s choices for a fairer, sustainable future, as envisioned by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Agency carries out its mandate under four strategic objectives: (1) Prosperity for all; (2) Effective governance; (3) Crisis resilience; (4) Healthy planet. These objectives are driven by key accelerators: digital and artificial intelligence (AI) transformation; gender equality; and sustainable finance.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), established in 1967, is the United Nations entity focused on sexual and reproductive health, gender equality and population data, and works in more than 150 countries and territories. It is mandated to ensure every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. It supports global development and humanitarian efforts, especially for women and girls.

UNFPA is a leader in advancing sexual and reproductive health and realising reproductive rights (SRHR) and promoting gender equality within a reforming and underfunded United Nations development system. They aim to carry out their mandate effectively in humanitarian, development and peacebuilding (HDP) settings, ensuring that SRH and GBV services remain accessible in emergency and fragile contexts, and supporting systems strengthening and recovery across both areas.

UNICEF provides long-term and emergency humanitarian and development assistance to children and their families. It advocates for children’s rights and delivers crucial services, often in the most difficult settings and circumstances. Its programmes focus on the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children.

This includes girls, the disabled, ethnic minorities, the rural and urban poor, victims of conflict and natural disasters, and children affected by HIV/AIDS.

UNICEF’s focus on young children’s survival and development, education and gender equality, and on issues such as maternal and child nutrition, and HIV/AIDS, are all important Irish priorities.

United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)

UNHCR leads and co-ordinates international action to protect refugees worldwide. It also works to protect and assist internally displaced people, returnees, host communities and stateless people.

UNHCR is one of Ireland’s largest humanitarian partners. It works in often complex and dangerous environments. Each year UNHCR, working with local partners, helps millions of people restart their lives.

United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)

UNRWA provides basic services to 5.4 million Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza. The agency provides education, healthcare and relief services to Palestine refugees.

The mission of OHCHR is to work for the protection of all human rights for all people, to help empower people to realise their rights, and to assist those responsible for upholding such rights in ensuring that they are implemented.

Human rights are central to the achievement of sustainable development in all its dimensions. OHCHR leads global human rights efforts. It speaks out in the face of human rights violations worldwide.

It also provides support to countries in areas such as the administration of justice, legislative reform, human rights treaty ratification, and human rights education.

UN development system reform

The UN Development System is made up of all UN organisations working on development. It is undergoing reform to improve its ability to provide coordinated, efficient and better-quality support.

Ireland is a longstanding donor to the UN development system. We are a strong supporter of the reforms.