Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations. I invite you to use this website as a means of keeping in touch with Ireland’s work at the UN in New York.

My name is Martin Fraser and I serve as Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

This year marked Ireland’s seventieth anniversary of UN membership. Across those seven decades, our unwavering commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter has remained at the heart of Ireland’s engagement with the world. For us, the UN represents a simple but core belief: by working together, countries can build a more peaceful, just and sustainable world, grounded in respect for international law and in the equal dignity and rights of all people.

This belief is deeply rooted in Ireland’s own history. Our acquaintance with famine, inequality and conflict has shaped the value we place on international cooperation. So too has our own journey toward independence, peace and development. Ireland’s experience continues to inform the values we bring to our work at the United Nations: our distinctive contributions to peacekeeping and conflict prevention abroad; to sustainable development and humanitarian response; to human rights and gender equality; and to upholding respect for international law.

In 2026, the need for effective multilateralism could hardly be greater. Conflicts and humanitarian needs are rising. Large-scale reductions in development and humanitarian assistance are having profound consequences for the most vulnerable people. Human rights—including women’s rights, gender equality and LGBTIQ+ rights—face renewed pushback.

The UN itself is also changing. Through the Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative, the organisation is considering how it can become more effective, efficient and responsive to the world’s challenges. Ireland is strongly supportive of these efforts toward reform which strengthens the UN system’s ability to deliver for those in greatest need.

At such a moment, it may be tempting to step away from international commitments. Ireland believes we must do the opposite: recommit to the Charter, defend international law, invest in peace and sustainable development, and advocate for the universality of human rights. This approach will inform Ireland’s membership of the Human Rights Council for the term 2027-2029, where, if elected, we will continue to be a vigorous voice for the most vulnerable, and for those who defend human rights around the world.

As Ireland’s Ambassador to the UN, I am proud to lead a team dedicated to advancing these priorities every day. We engage closely with partners from around the globe, understanding that effective multilateralism depends on dialogue, trust and the willingness to find common ground.

70 years after Ireland first took our place here at the General Assembly, we remain guided by the same core conviction: our shared challenges are best met together. Ireland will continue to bring our voice, our experience and our values to the UN, and to work for a UN system that delivers for all and reaches the furthest behind first.

Please follow our activities on this website, and through our social media channels (X formerly Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn).

Thank you. Go raibh maith agaibh.

Martin Fraser

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ireland to the UN

Ambasadóir agus Buanionadaí chuig na Náisiúin Aontaithe