The Government has nominated former European commissioner Phil Hogan as Ireland’s candidate to contest an election for a senior job at the United Nations.
Ministers agreed to back the former Fine Gael politician as Ireland’s pick in the race to take over as the next director general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The Department of Agriculture in January had canvassed for potential names the Government could consider nominating as a candidate for the top job at the UN agency.
Hogan, a former Fine Gael minister and European commissioner, indicated he would be interested in the Government putting his name forward to contest the election for the international position.
It is understood Hogan had been considering a run for the UN role for a number of months.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon brought a memo to Cabinet on Tuesday, setting out a recommendation from an internal department process, that Ireland nominate Hogan for the international role.
The UN agency is based in Rome, and the top job commands a salary of about $265,000 a year. The election to fill the position will take place next year, with representatives of the 194 states who are members of FAO each getting one vote.
The UN role is currently held by Qu Dongyu, a Chinese politician and administrator, whose four-year term is due to finish in mid-2027.
A race to lock in support and votes to take over as his replacement will begin in the coming months, as various countries’ candidates for the international job emerge.
The UN agency is tasked with leading efforts to tackle world hunger and improve global food security.
Two civil servants from the Department of Agriculture will be assigned to assist Hogan’s bid for the job.
“Any costs to the Exchequer will be proportionate and managed within existing departmental and diplomatic resources. It is expected that the selected candidate will cover any additional personal or campaign-related costs,” a department spokesman said.
Government ministers have recently said it would be beneficial if Europe settled on one candidate.
The Italian government has nominated their former agriculture minister, Maurizio Martina, who is the current deputy director general of the FAO, for the top job.
Hogan has separately canvassed for support inside the European Commission, the EU’s powerful executive arm in Brussels led by Ursula von der Leyen.
The initial focus of Hogan’s campaign for the job will likely be to garner support from other European governments, to emerge as the preferred European candidate.
Labour Party spokesperson Duncan Smith said: “This highlights that Phil Hogan still has a huge influence within Fine Gael and the Government. The Government should publish what criteria was used to select Phil Hogan for their support or is this just more jobs for the old boys’ club.”
Hogan, who served as European commissioner for agriculture and later EU trade commissioner, resigned from the high-profile role in the fallout of the Golfgate controversy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He stepped down in August 2020 following backlash for attending a dinner organised by the Oireachtas golf society at a time when Covid restrictions on large gatherings were in place.
During the height of the political storm then-tánaiste Leo Varadkar and taoiseach Micheál Martin asked Hogan to consider his position. He later said the withdrawal of support by the Irish government contributed to his resignation as EU trade commissioner.
Sinn Fein’s finance spokesman Pearse Doherty said that Hogan had been arrogant during the Golfgate incident.
“The real question for the Government is, how come it’s always an insider that has to get one of these jobs? It’s one of the chosen ones within Fine Gael? Is there nobody else in the country that would be worthy of putting forward for a job of this nature?
“We have seen it with the housing tsar. We saw it with Catherine Zappone. Irish people are sick, sore and tired of insiders being (chosen),” he said.
After his departure from politics Hogan set up a lucrative political consultancy business.
Records show he advises a roster of private clients that includes United States banking giant JP Morgan, international law firm DLA Piper, and previously telecoms firm Vodafone, payments company Visa, the Ardagh Group and Kildare-based Enfer Labs.