Launched in June 2018, Global Ireland 2025 is a multi-annual, whole-of-government strategy to double the scope and impact of Ireland’s global engagement by 2025. Global Ireland 2025 represents the most ambitious renewal and expansion of Ireland’s international presence ever undertaken in terms of diplomacy, culture, business, overseas development assistance, tourism and trade.
It supports efforts to grow and diversify export markets, inward investment and tourism. It ensures that Ireland is well positioned to build the alliances necessary to advance our interests and enhance our influence in the EU. It supports the securing of our deep and positive relationship with the UK and its constituent parts into the future.
At a global level, it advocates for the capacity and calls for the ambition to achieve our foreign policy objectives, including international development, peace, disarmament and security, while strengthening Ireland’s engagement with our 70 million-strong diaspora and bringing our rich culture and heritage to wider audiences.
A Team Ireland approach abroad and a global perspective at home will continue to be essential to Ireland’s interests and to achieving our aims over the coming period.
Since the launch of the strategy in 2018, two progress reports have been published detailing achievements under the strategy: the first in June 2019; and the second in March 2021. Links to those reports, as well as the original strategy document can be found at the end of this page.
A review of the Strategy was commenced in 2022 which sought to reflect on the objectives set in 2018 and whether they continue to be of value in light of the changed international landscape.
That review has now been completed, and found that the Strategy adopted in 2018 and the progress towards its implementation continue to bring benefits. It has helped to place Ireland in a stronger position overall to withstand the seismic challenges of recent years. In the years since its launch, the Global Ireland strategy has facilitated advancements in all aspects of Ireland’s international engagement.
Looking ahead, the government has identified a new set of objectives for the period until end 2025, when the strategy concludes.
- continue to expand Ireland’s network of Diplomatic Missions, opening new missions in Milan, Munich, and Islamabad, and make final decisions regarding the remaining four missions by 2025
- expand the number of Ireland Houses operating across Ireland’s mission network, including opening the new flagship Ireland House in Tokyo in 2024
- continue the design and development of the new Ireland House location in New York for opening in December 2025
- finalise arrangements regarding the opening of Ireland House in London
- create new health attaché posts in Brussels and Geneva and step up our engagement in EU and WHO global health planning and coordination
- fully implement the five whole-of-government regional strategies and two country-specific strategies
- develop a new regional strategy for the Middle East and North Africa by end 2023
- enhance Ireland’s impact in shaping the future direction of EU policies, budgets, programmes, and legislation, particularly in preparation for Ireland’s Presidency of the EU in 2026, and via our ongoing Presidency of the Eurogroup, and through increased representation of Irish citizens in the EU institutions
- consolidate the strong foundations already in place for Irish as an official language of the EU and continue to raise awareness about the opportunities arising from this status for the language among the public, officials and elected representatives
- 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; and
- an annual Global Ireland ‘all of government’ trade missions, 2023-2025
- deliver a comprehensive programme of engagements at Expo 2025 Osaka
- achieve diversification of FDI source markets, doubling growth in IDA-assisted project investments from non-US markets from a 2018 baseline
- 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
- develop and diversify international markets and achieve export growth targets set out in the Food Vision 2030 strategy, Ireland’s 10-year strategic development plan for the agriculture, food, drink, and fisheries sectors
- 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
- implement a major Irish cultural season in Germany 2024 in partnership with Culture Ireland
- develop a comprehensive cross-government attaché programme which would place experts in areas such as Technology, Science, International Education, Research and Innovation, Migration, Climate and Culture in targeted Missions around the world
- continue the implementation of A Better World Ireland’s policy for international development
- 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)
- implement Ireland’s diaspora strategy by 2025
- more than double our overall Climate Finance spend to at least €225 million per year by 2025
- implement integrated communication strategy for Ireland internationally with Ireland.ie as the primary digital platform
- build on the legacy of our United Nations Security Council term and Council of Europe Presidency, including:
- by seeking election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2027-2029 term; and
- through our leadership role as co-facilitator for the negotiations on the political declaration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit in September 2023
- reset our tourism targets and launch a new tourism strategy in 2023, including with new ambitions for sustainable tourism and for emerging markets
- attract major sporting events to Ireland and ensure Team Ireland benefits and linkages
- reset our international education targets and launch a new International Education, Research and Innovation strategy in 2023
- strengthen work with third level partners in the teaching and promotion of Irish in the UK, EU and North America
- review Government of Ireland scholarships and other Scholarship schemes to meet our ambitions in international education, research and innovation
- implement the Innovate for Ireland programme which aims to attract the best international research and entrepreneurship talent to Ireland’s research and innovation ecosystem
The government will continue to monitor developments and will coordinate a final review of the Strategy, following its conclusion at the end of 2025.
