The Government is deeply concerned by the unprecedented levels of organised pushback in parts of the world against human rights, including sexual, reproductive health and LGBTQI+ rights that have begun to unravel decades of progress, a Fine Gael TD has said.In an address to the Institute of International and European Affairs, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs Neale Richmond he said this pushback had “the potential to undermine the legitimacy of the global human rights agenda, and to curtail achievement of the equality ambitions central to the Sustainable Development Goals. “Increasingly we see our core values are being challenged,” he said in his speech on Thursday. The Minister said that progress in eradicating extreme poverty had also decelerated in the past decade due to several interconnected crises, including slow economic growth, high indebtedness, conflict and fragility, and severe weather-related shocks. “An estimated 826 million people live below the latest extreme poverty line of $3 per person per day. Based on current trends, we expect nine per cent of the global population will still be living in poverty in 2030. We have similarly stark figures for food and hunger, with about 307 million people affected by hunger in Africa.”He said the conflict in the Middle East and the disruption it had caused would continue to have a huge impact on global food security. “The conflict has already triggered additional humanitarian needs leading to displacements of populations. The countries that will be most affected, are already among the poorest and most fragile. “The current crisis is also a systemic shock to the global agri-food system that has left the world on the brink of a historic hunger emergency. While we might hope to see a return to previous trading patterns, it is clear this will not happen for a considerable amount of time,” Richmond said.He said at the same time the volume of international development assistance had fallen by over 23 per cent between 2024 and 2025.Richmond said Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union would “prioritise progress on our collective commitment to reaching the furthest behind, emphasising collaborative, forward-thinking discussion on reducing humanitarian need”.He said during its presidency Ireland “will aim to shepherd an ambitious European agenda on gender equality and the rights and empowerment of all women and girls, strengthening the Union’s role as a principled global actor”.He said Ireland was also a long-standing champion of global efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition, priority issues firmly rooted in our own history.“Food security and nutrition are inextricably linked to peace and stability, poverty reduction and economic prosperity. In the coming year, Ireland will continue to step up its international solidarity to advance global food and nutrition security.”