graphic of Irish harp in green

Global Ireland Strategies

Learn more about the Department of Foreign Affairs' Global Ireland Strategies

The Global Ireland Strategy was launched by Government in 2018 with the aim of doubling Ireland’s footprint and impact by 2025.

graphic map of Ireland on coloured circles

Ireland's Global Footprint

The ambition of Global Ireland's Strategy is to make Ireland’s voice count for more on the international stage, to build our national reputation, to exert more influence, and to be a strong participant in global enterprise, trade, culture, diplomacy, peacebuilding, and development.

On this page you'll find:

Global Ireland Review May 2023 | Achievements

The Government has published the Review of the Global Ireland Strategy 2018-2025. The review confirms the delivery is on target and agreed a range of measures across Government to be carried out by 2025.

Key achievements since the adoption of the Global Ireland Strategy in 2018:

  • 22 new missions around the world
  • 6 new cultural officers abroad
  • Expo 2020
  • Launch of A Career for EU Strategy (May 2021)
  • EU50 Programme (2022-2023)
  • Successful 2021-2022 term on the UN Security Council
  • Negotiation of Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas
  • Government decision to run for election for the UN Human Rights Council for the 2027-2029 term
  • ODA allocation in Budget 2022 over €1 billion for first time - increased to €1.23 billion in Budget 2023
  • New diaspora strategy
  • New one-stop-shop for returning emigrants
  • Almost 5 million visits to the Government’s Travel Advice pages in 2022
  • 9,500 citizens assisted during COVID-19 in returning home
  • Global Ireland regional strategies for engaging with Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Nordic region, Latin America/Caribbean and the US/Canada have been launched.
Global Ireland Review May 2023
pdf 3.7 MB
Global Ireland Review: in Irish
pdf 3.7 MB

Global Ireland Review | In pictures

Department of Foreign Affairs | Future commitments

Between May 2023 and the end of 2025, the primary objectives of Department are as follows ( 1-15):

1. Continue to expand Ireland’s network of missions, opening new missions in Milan, Munich, and Islamabad, and make a decision on further Mission openings.

2. Expand the number of Ireland Houses operating across Ireland’s mission network, including developing the new flagship Ireland Houses in Tokyo, New York and London.

3. Fully implement the five whole-of-government regional strategies and two country-specific strategies.

4. Develop a new regional strategy for the Middle East and North Africa.

5. Enhance Ireland’s impact in shaping the future direction of EU policies, budgets, programmes, and legislation. This work will particularly involve:
- preparation for Ireland’s presidency of the EU in 2026 and via our ongoing presidency of the Eurogroup
- our programmes to mark EU50
- increased representation of Irish citizens in the EU institutions.

three adults and ten young people
Primary and secondary school students met President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen in Government Buildings

6. Consolidate the strong foundations already in place for Irish as an official language of the EU. Continue to raise awareness about the opportunities arising from this status for the language among the public, officials and elected representatives.

7. Progress implementation of the new trade and investment strategy Value for Ireland, Values for the World (2022-2026), including:
- a highly collaborative joined-up approach to country engagement with refreshed ‘Local Market Teams’ covering 35 key markets across the world;
- an annual Global Ireland ‘all of Government’ trade missions, 2023-2025.

8. Deliver a comprehensive programme of engagements at Expo 2025 Osaka.

9. Expand assistance for promoting Irish arts and culture internationally, implementing Culture Ireland’s 2022-2025 strategy, appointing Cultural Officers in seven new locations, and furthering the development of international cultural capital projects.

10. Implement a major Irish cultural season in Germany 2024 in partnership with Culture Ireland.

large group of people standing in front of a peach coloured building
Irish Aid monitoring visit, Honduras

11. Continue the implementation of A Better World Ireland’s policy for international development

12. Deliver on Ireland’s pledge during UNGA week September 2022 to contribute an additional €50 million to combat child wasting over three years (2022-24)

13. Implement Ireland’s diaspora strategy by 2025.

14. Implement an integrated communication strategy for Ireland internationally with Ireland.ie as the primary digital platform.

15. Build on the legacy of our United Nations Security Council term and Council of Europe presidency, including:
- seeking election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2027-2029 term;
- through our leadership role as co-facilitator for the negotiations on the political declaration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit in September 2023.

Whole-Government commitments

There are three whole-of-Government commitments, these include:

  1. Create new health attaché posts in Brussels and Geneva and step up our engagement in EU and WHO global health planning and coordination.
  2. Achieve diversification of FDI source markets, doubling growth in IDA-assisted project investments from non-US markets from a 2018 baseline.
  3. Achieve the export diversification targets set in 2018 to accelerate diversification of export markets by Enterprise Ireland clients with the ambition to double the total value of EI client exports outside the UK from the 2015 baseline by 2025; double Eurozone exports by 2025; and increase the diversification of client exports into new markets, with at least 70% of exports going beyond the UK by 2025 with a value of €21 billion.
Ireland's Global Footprint to 2025 (June 2018)
pdf 3.2 MB

Regional strategies

Macchu Pichu in Peru

Latin America and the Caribbean to 2025

February 2022

A wee walk under the Northern Lights at Malin Head.

Nordic Region to 2025

December 2021

The Sacre Coeur lit up in green lighting.

Ireland’s Strategy for France to 2025

February 2020

A man dressed in green wearing shamrock shaped glasses watching a float in the St Patrick's Day parade.

Delivering in the Asia Pacific Region to 2025

January 2020

A child at school in Yemen.

Ireland’s Policy for International Development

March 2019

Women's empowerment in Kunike Barina Chiefdom, Tonkolili Region, Sierra Leone. Africa 2019

Ireland's Strategy for Africa to 2025

November 2019

The American and Canadian flags flying off the side of a building.

US and Canada to 2025

February 2019

generic harp in green on darker green

Ireland in Germany A Wider and Deeper Footprint

April 2018

Global Ireland logo

Ireland's Global Footprint to 2025

June 2018