Powerful world leaders are complicit in the avoidable loss of life of children, Michael D Higgins has said.
The president also said record military expenditure worldwide reflected a “species failure”, adding: “Arms production has defeated diplomacy in too many areas.”
He made the remarks as he visited Ratheniska, Co Laois for the 2024 National Ploughing Championships.
Mr Higgins, who officially opened the event on Tuesday, told the crowd that the “rhetoric of war and the shocking escalation of armaments” must not sideline agreements on poverty, inequality, climate action and sustainability.
He said 3.3 billion people live in countries that spend more on debt servicing than on health and education.
“This is not a world of which any species can be proud, that we have failed in these significant areas – and how shameful it is that this is taking place in a world where military expenditure has soared to unprecedented levels, reaching 2.44 trillion dollars in 2023, the highest ever recorded.”
Mr Higgins said people “were drawing dividends” by investing in the weapons of war, adding: “When one looks at this period of history, it is in fact a species failure.”
He added: “In particular, we think of all the people in Gaza as we approach the one year anniversary of the horrific events of October 7th.
“The world must insist that the horrific suffering for children and their families must end.
“There is no room any more for anyone, I think, to avert their gaze from what are the most horrific of circumstances of war and displacement.
“This outrageous level of killing must end with an immediate ceasefire.”
Mr Higgins’ comments were met with applause from the crowd gathered at the bandstand.
The president further reflected on his interactions with other world leaders and added: “I cannot understand, and I cannot condone those heads of state from very powerful countries who cannot allow themselves and officials to look at young children dying of malnutrition or dehydration and still staying silent.
“Staying silent is complicity in the loss of life that is avoidable, and it must end.”
Speaking to reporters after the speech, Mr Higgins expressed concern about advancements in military technology.
“We’re talking about an entirely different form of armament with the development of missiles and missile technology which can be aimed at civilian infrastructure – that’s one big change.
“The other big change is the interpretation of international law that pre-emptive strike can be part of defence.
“Maybe the most devastating of all, the biggest breaches, in my view, is rendering spaces uninhabitable – the destruction of schools, hospitals.
He added: “How many Palestinian children have no building to go to. You have a very small number of surviving hospitals.”
Elsewhere, Mr Higgins noted that half of Sudan’s population of 50 million people is now facing food insecurity and famine, adding: “It is getting insufficient attention, it is just as if we can live with it, continuing on.”
