President Michael D Higgins has said he intends to focus on the issue of migration for the remainder of his presidency.
Mr Higgins was speaking in Seattle on the first stop of his eight-day trip to the west coast of the United States.
He said dealing with "the movement of people" must be done with respect for people's dignity, which respects their rights, and "respects and defines decent work".
Using the example of migrants in Europe, he said they were contributing to society within three years of their arrival, and in relation to some of those arriving from Syria, they were net contributors within months.
He said in an era of increased globalisation, migration would be one of the great issues of the next decades.
He said great advances were being made with science and technology, but he questioned who should benefit from such advances.
Mr Higgins said governments, presidents, mayors and other elected officials were responsible because they were elected, but that multinationals were "elected by nobody" and their role in society needed to be more defined.
The President was speaking following a meeting with the Mayor of Seattle, Ed Murray.
Mayor Murray is seen as one of the more progressive mayors in the US.
He is one of the first openly-gay mayors in the US and has presided over the introduction of same-sex marriage in Seattle.
He travelled to Ireland during the same-sex marriage referendum campaign to talk about the Washington State experience.
He also introduced a minimum wage of $15 in the city upon taking office - one of the highest in the US.
Mr Murray also worked as a peace line volunteer in Belfast in 1974 upon graduating from High School in Seattle.
His maternal grandparents emigrated from Fethard in Co Tipperary and Patrickswell in Co Limerick, while his paternal grandparents were born in Belfast, Co Armagh, and Newry, Co Down.
Mr Higgins is to travel south to California, where he will plant a tree in Berkeley in memory of the students who lost their lives there, following his time in Seattle.
Minister in Canada for Famine commemoration
Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys has paid tribute to the help and support provided by the people of Canada to Irish emigrants fleeing the Famine.
Ms Humphreys is on a four-day trip to Canada as part of the International Famine Commemoration.
The minister is to meet leaders and members of the Irish community across New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Speaking in New Brunswick, she said: "The devastating legacy of the Famine is evident across the eastern region of Canada, where up to 20,000 Irish famine victims lie buried.
She added that "the Irish people will never forget the generous welcome given by the people of Canada to the desolate masses that arrived on their shores".
