UN General Assembly
2010

Let me begin by warmly congratulating President Joseph Deiss on his election and extending the best wishes of the Irish Government for a successful term in office. We gather this year against a backdrop of grave challenges confronting the global community. Foremost among them is the continuing crisis of global hunger and poverty. We recognize the obligation upon us to fulfil the commitments made to the world’s most vulnerable people when the Assembly adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000. Our Governments have to contend with the most severe global recession in many decades, but we must limit the impact of the crisis on those in greatest need. We must also maintain our commitment to halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. Firmer action is also called for in responding to the threat posed by climate change. If the global community fails to act now on that issue, we will face a steadily escalating threat to our planet and to human survival. In recent months, we have also seen the