asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he is aware that 21 March has been designated as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and that it will be observed by the Special Committee of the United Nations against Apartheid on Friday, 20 March both in New York and in Geneva; and if he will indicate whether the Government propose to take any action to mark this day.

The United Nations have designated 21 March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the day is observed each year by the UN in special ceremonies in New York and Geneva. This year the day was marked by a solemn meeting of the Special Committee against Apartheid on 20 March at which Ireland was represented by our Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. A similar ceremony at which Ireland was also represented took place at the European Office of the UN in Geneva.

As in previous years I joined in a message to the Secretary General of the UN from the Foreign Ministers of the ten member states of the European Communities which emphasised the opposition of the ten to all manifestations of racial discrimination and in particular to the apartheid policies of the Government of South Africa. In addition, Ireland informed the UN Secretary General of our voluntary contributions for 1981 to four UN funds to aid the victims of the South African régime: the UN Trust Fund for South Africa, the UN Educational and Training Programme for Southern Africa, the UN Fund for Namibia and the UN Publicity Fund against Apartheid.