YouSaid · the spoken record

Brian Cowen

lines on the record: 103
first: 2000-09-24
most recent: 2004-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“30 The establishment by the Security Council of the Counter-Terrorism Committee to oversee the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001) was a landmark development. Its work has been instrumental in making it more difficult for international terrorist networks to organize and finance their activities. Continued persistence and vigilance are required. We still have much more to do. We must make it impossible for the agents of international terror to operate. We must persevere with initiatives such as the freezing of assets and the denial of safe haven. At the same time, we must ensure that everything we do respects the United Nations Charter and the body of international human rights law we have so painstakingly constructed. That is our best guarantee against evil and its perpetrators.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“That is why flagrant violation and defiance of Security Council resolutions should be a matter of the utmost concern to all Member States. The terrorist attacks of 11 September required an urgent response from the international community. It was vital that the Security Council was at the centre of the international community's response. The Council, to quote the Secretary-General, responded with patience, creativity and determination'. The Security Council adopted resolution 1368 (2001), demanding the fullest possible cooperation of the international community in bringing the perpetrators to justice. It subsequently authorized the deployment of an international security force to Afghanistan. It put in place measures to counter international terrorism.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“They will have succeeded if we are provoked into abandoning those values and laws. Ultimately they can be defeated, and the scourge of international terror ended, only if we stand united in defence of our international obligations and the rule of law. Within our system, the Security Council is charged with responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. When there are threats to international peace and security, the Member States concerned are obliged to bring these matters to the attention of the Security Council. When the Security Council acts in such cases, all Member States are obliged to implement its resolutions. Regrettably, they sometimes fail to do so. Any law that is flagrantly violated becomes weakened over time.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“States must honour their international obligations. Unless we consistently call to account those who defy or flagrantly violate their obligations, our system will be discredited. The choice we face is stark. Either we stand by and strengthen the international system and the rule of law, or we invite anarchy. The great Irish poet W. B. Yeats put it graphically in The Second Coming': Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world'. That was what the perpetrators of 11 September wanted. Their vicious attack was not just on the innocent people of many nationalities, including my own in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania; not just on the United States; but on the very values we cherish and that are the foundation on which this Organization is built.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“Last year in the delayed general debate, I spoke about the implications of those atrocities. I set out my thoughts on how we as the international community should respond. My conclusions last year and my message today are the same. The United Nations is at the centre of our system of collective security. It is a mirror of our determination and our political will. This is the world body invested by the peoples of the world with unique legitimacy and unique authority. Around the world people look in hope and idealism to the United Nations. We must be worthy of that trust. I want to fully endorse the Secretary-General's address to the Assembly yesterday. As the Secretary- General said, All States have a clear interest, as well as a clear responsibility, to uphold international law and maintain international order' (see A/57/PV.2).”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“I congratulate the Mr. Jan Kavan on his election as President of the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly. I look forward to working closely with him as the Czech Republic, a good friend of my country, moves ever closer to membership in the European Union. Our thanks are due to Mr. Han Seung-soo for his work as President of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly. I am delighted to welcome Switzerland as a new Member of the Organization and look forward to the imminent membership of East Timor, a nation whose birth was fostered by this Organization. Prime Minister Rasmussen of Denmark has already addressed the General Assembly on behalf of the European Union. Ireland associates itself fully with his remarks. We are all still haunted, a year later, by the shadow of the terrible deaths and events of 11 September 2001.”
2002-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 57 (2002)
“As I have already said, there is no one size fits all solution to conflict. I believe, however, that if these principles were to be applied in certain other conflict situations, they could make a significant contribution to the achievement of peace and political progress. The world we seek cannot be brought about overnight. Building peace, ensuring justice, widening respect for fundamental human rights and eliminating poverty will take time. We will require stamina, determination, inspiration, patience, generosity and compromise. We have all these qualities in abundance if only we can find the political will to use them and the determination, together, to seek new ways forward.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The international community must support the peace process in a balanced and objective way. A successful process needs a route map, such as those already prepared by Mitchell and Tenet in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It also needs a mechanism to arbitrate on who is meeting, and who is not meeting, their commitments under any such arrangements. Those driving the peace process must rise above the politics of the last atrocity. Not doing so, while understandable in terms of domestic opinion, is ultimately bereft of vision and hands control over progress to the enemies of the process. There is a particularly compelling message here for those charged with advancing the peace process in the Middle East. If these elements are present, we believe a peace process can prosper.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“In the context of effective political dialogue and the peaceful resolution of disputes, peacemakers should not regard compromise as representing appeasement or surrender, victory or defeat. Neither does compromise necessarily require splitting the difference between the parties. A lasting agreement must be comprehensive and address all issues of concern, even if the parties might agree to deal with them in different time frames. Those in favour of peace in each community must work together, even in the face of hostility from the enemies of the peace process in their own community. They must stick together in adversity. They must avoid excessive and damaging criticism when mistakes are made, as they inevitably will be. They must be prepared to face down the enemies of peace together.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We have established the primacy and full relevance of politics in people's lives in Northern Ireland. We do not pretend, of course, that we have found a solution that has universal application we know too well how local and individual conflicts can be. But through our own process of trial and error we have learned lessons and established principles that may be useful in resolving conflicts in other parts of the world. From our own experience of peace-building, we enumerate the most important elements of any truly sustainable peace process as follows. There can be no purely military solution. A lasting settlement must always address the root causes of conflict. Compromise is essential. Recognizing that extremism breeds in the absence of reason, conflict resolution demands that we rehabilitate the concept of compromise.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Since then, we have worked hard to secure the full implementation of this Agreement. Two of the most difficult and sensitive issues we have had to face were the putting of paramilitary weapons beyond use and the putting in place of a new beginning to policing. I am very pleased to be able to inform the Assembly that very considerable progress has recently been made on both these crucial issues. As a result, the way is now clear for a sustained, committed and enthusiastic implementation of all elements of the Good Friday Agreement. We have learned a lot from our own voyage towards peace. We have put in place new constitutional and institutional arrangements, which fully recognize and respect the legitimacy of both political traditions on the island of Ireland.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“There must also be a concerted international effort, coordinated by the United Nations, to assist the people of Afghanistan in establishing a broad-based Government, representative of all the ethnic groups which make up the country. This must be accompanied by a comprehensive and generous programme of support for the post-military 28 rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan. The international community must stay engaged once a representative Government is established there. In Ireland, we continue to make steady progress with our own peace process. As representatives will be aware, the British and Irish Governments and the political parties in Northern Ireland successfully negotiated a comprehensive peace settlement over three years ago, known as the Good Friday Agreement.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“They can and must be stopped. Ireland's position has been steadfast and clear: we stand with the United States and with the rest of the international community in asserting that the barbarism of 11 September cannot be allowed to succeed; that the threat posed by international terrorism must be permanently ended; and that there must be a total commitment by all Governments to this task, with all the energy and resources at our disposal. My Government hopes that the military campaign now under way will achieve its objectives in as short a time frame as possible. Every effort must continue to be made to avoid civilian casualties, and it is crucial that the military campaign be accompanied by a visible and effective humanitarian strategy. The long-suffering people of Afghanistan deserve no less.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The terrible events of 11 September, which struck most fiercely at the city of New York seat of the United Nations and melting pot of all races and creeds brought home to us all that the collective security of the international community is only as strong as its weakest link. As long as a single Government or, in the case of the Taliban, a single de facto administration, is prepared to allow its territory to be used as a base for terrorist attacks against people anywhere on this planet, we can never feel secure. We must confront and defeat the scourge of international terrorism and bring those responsible for the barbaric acts of 11 September to justice, not out of a need for revenge, but because the perpetrators of these acts are capable of repeating such attacks and make no secret of their determination to do so.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Let us work harder together to prevent climate change from devastating poor and vulnerable countries. We have achieved much already. This is recognized by the awarding of this year's Nobel Peace Prize jointly to our Organization and to our esteemed Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. I offer my warmest congratulations and appreciation to Kofi Annan, and to all who serve the United Nations. But the Secretary- General would be the first to emphasize that the award of the Nobel Peace Prize must be seen not only as a recognition of past achievement, but as an inspiration to renewed commitment and determination.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Ireland has already made it clear that it will deliver on its commitment in this regard and will increase its overseas development aid budget by over $100 million next year to keep on track towards this target. Let us reassess the sustainable debt levels and provide additional relief to the heavily indebted poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa, which will suffer the most in the present economic downturn. Let us redouble our efforts to overcome an HIV/AIDS pandemic which is killing over 6.5 thousand people every day in Africa and which has already orphaned over 9 million children on that continent. The Declaration of Commitment agreed at the General Assembly special session in June has established the framework and the targets. It now has to be financed and implemented.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The United Nations Population Fund's 2001 The State of World Population report, published last week, reminds us that half of the world's 6.1 billion people still exist on less than $2 per day and forecasts that the world population will rise by 50 per cent, to 9.3 billion, by the year 2050. Is it acceptable that over 3 billion people are today living in total and abject poverty, while the developed world is struggling to come to terms with the problems of over- consumption and environmental pollution? Are we prepared to accept that there could be over 6 billion people living in poverty by 2050? Let us see every Government set out its commitment to reach the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for development assistance within the next five years.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The people of Ireland are proud of their service and achievements in the cause of peace. I want to pay special tribute to the memory of those soldiers who lost their lives in the service of peace. Ireland's commitment to United Nations peacekeeping remains undiminished. We continue to participate in about a dozen missions. A new contingent of our troops will soon begin service with the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. We must equally give priority to achieving sustainable development and meeting the humanitarian challenges that confront us.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“But we must not lose sight of the fundamental purpose of the sanctions regime: Iraq must allow verification that it has met its essential disarmament obligations. The Irish Government is grateful to those Member States that supported Ireland's membership in the Security Council. We will continue to strive to vindicate the confidence that you placed in us. The United Nations role in peacekeeping has been at the heart of our collective endeavours now for over 50 years. Ireland has played a proud part in United Nations peacekeeping across the continents. This evening, I want to take a moment to thank the Irish soldiers who have served with such distinction 27 and dedication in Lebanon for the last 23 years. The last Irish battalion leaves the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon tomorrow.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We have given particular attention to Africa and to the efforts, frequently African-led, to solve the many conflicts there. We have consistently sought to highlight the humanitarian aspects of the various situations coming before the Council. We were particularly gratified during our presidency of the Security Council last month to have presided over substantial discussions on Somalia and on the United Nations support for post-independence East Timor. We remain concerned about the humanitarian situation of the people of Iraq. The Iraqi Government can and must do more within the system set out in the Security Council resolutions to meet the humanitarian needs of its own people. For its part, the Security Council and its members must redouble their efforts to reach agreement on the outcome of its review of the sanctions regime.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“This Organization was founded out of a determination to assert human rights, the dignity and worth of the human person and the equal rights of men and women. We must not equivocate on any of these principles. In pursuit of this, Ireland looks forward to the imminent establishment of the International Criminal Court and appeals for its universal recognition. Violent conflict and internal strife are the reality of daily life in many regions and countries across the world today the Middle East, the Great Lakes region of Africa and many other places, such as Sudan, where people are being killed and maimed. Ireland has worked hard since joining the Security Council last January to focus on the need to address these and other conflicts.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“We must act more resolutely through the United Nations, with sustained commitment and sustained determination, to address this equally urgent agenda. We must implement with determination all Security Council resolutions. Let us realize and build on the pledges we made at the Millennium Summit. Let us strive much more effectively to control the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Let us also improve the working of this Organization by making it more efficient, adaptable and coordinated. In the words of the Secretary-General this week, let us ensure that when the United Nations acts, only the best is good enough. Only in this way will the United Nations and its Member States succeed in overcoming the massive challenges which now confront us. In addressing this comprehensive agenda, we must not relax our efforts on human rights.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“The peace and security which we crave for ourselves and for future generations will not be secured unless we simultaneously tackle the root causes of conflict: injustice, poverty and the abuse of fundamental rights and freedoms. Too often, multilateral action has been characterized as reaction to the outcomes of conflict. Last year's Millennium Declaration confirmed the public commitment of the world's leadership to resolving also the root causes of conflict. The United Nations was created out of the determination to tackle conflict and its causes. On that basis, let us this week recommit and rededicate ourselves to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the United Nations. As the Secretary-General pointed out when opening this general debate, none of the issues that faced us on 10 September has become less urgent.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“And yet, from the examples I have just outlined, it is clear that in the past our resolve has faltered as the immediate threat receded and that the determination required to tackle the underlying causes and injustices that give rise to conflict has proved difficult to sustain. Today the international community is again at a crossroads. If we want a true and lasting victory over international terrorism; if we want safety, security and prosperity for our own people and our children, then we must act with sustained resolve and sustained determination. Our immediate agenda is clear. Action against terrorism must be pursued resolutely across a wide front and over a sustained period. In undertaking this necessary endeavour, let us be honest and realistic. With retributive justice must come distributive justice.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“During the twentieth century, we faced a number of such defining moments the First World War, the Second World War and the fall of the Berlin Wall, which heralded the end of the cold war. These defining moments are perhaps best reflected in the popular phrase found on the lips of men and women of all races and creeds at such times: Things will never be the same again. Out of such defining moments there comes the resolve to learn the lessons of history, to change the existing order and to make sure the calamities of the past can never happen again. 26 In the heat and clarity of the immediate aftermath of such events, expressions of resolve are abundant.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Thankfully, the threat of conflict on such a scale is now a far more remote prospect, but war and conflict continue to cause enormous suffering in many parts of the world. This, together with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction nuclear, chemical and biological means that war and its mutation, terrorism, continue to threaten mankind our lives, our liberty and our prosperity. This is simply not acceptable. We, the peoples of the United Nations, created, joined and sustained this Organization in the determination to save this and succeeding generations from the scourge of war. We must now demonstrate renewed and sustained commitment to the realization of this goal. Many speakers in this debate have spoken about the events of 11 September as a defining moment in history.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“I congratulate the President on his election as President of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly and thank him for his successful efforts to take forward the work of this Assembly. My colleague, Foreign Minister Louis Michel of Belgium, has already addressed this General Assembly on behalf of the European Union. Ireland associates itself fully with his remarks. We meet at a moment of uncertainty. The spectre of war once again casts its shadow across the continents. Forty years ago, when addressing the Assembly, President John F. Kennedy warned: Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind. Of course, President Kennedy was addressing a different world from the one we now live in. The war he feared was a war between two great power blocs that would end in assured mutual annihilation.”
2001-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 56 (2001)
“Membership of the Security Council will allow us to bring to the service of all the lessons of our own experience, as well as our full commitment to the United Nations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We remain firmly committed to the task and take heart from the substantial progress we have made and draw courage from the international community's continued support. In the course of my statement I have set out my Government's position on the key issues facing the United Nations. It is this approach and commitment that will inform our actions if we are elected to the Security Council. Ireland is standing for election after 20 years absence from the Council. We do so as a small State which has already made a significant contribution to the work of this Organization. Faithful to the principles and purposes of the Charter, we have faced and tried to overcome the legacies of strife and underdevelopment that have marked our own history.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“In Northern Ireland many people have yet to experience the full benefits of change and the return of hope and normality to their lives. Some remain sceptical about the benefits of the Agreement. But, working together with the British Government and with the representatives of all sides of the community, we will continue to do all in our power to convince them that the Agreement represents not only a balanced and honourable accommodation, but also the only way forward. The international community has made an important contribution to our achievements to date. Without the support and encouragement of the international community, we could not have come so far. When we embarked on our journey towards peace, we knew that it would take a great deal of time and of 24 work to see the Agreement implemented in full.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The task which the Irish Government has set itself is to work with others in peace and partnership, and in a spirit of mutual tolerance and respect, building together a better future for all of the people of Ireland. This demands patience, persistence and perseverance. A great deal remains to be done. Far too many people continue to have their lives blighted by sectarianism and hatred. There are still those who prefer to foster division, retarding rather than advancing the cause of reconciliation. On both sides there are still small groups of dissidents prepared to use violence to bring down the Agreement and to frustrate the democratically expressed wishes of the people. They have nothing to offer, and they will not be allowed to succeed.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We look forward to the Commission working closely with its counterpart in the North for the protection and promotion of human rights throughout the island of Ireland. We also need to see continued progress towards security and justice arrangements appropriate to a society in which peace will become the norm, and to see the question of arms resolved for all time. To this end, we have made great strides forward in recent months. Our task in the peace process has always been more than the putting in place of a new set of institutions and arrangements, important though they undoubtedly are. We are endeavouring to create a new beginning for what has been a deeply divided society, a new beginning where the divisions of the past are overcome.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Policing reform is a vital part of the new dispensation we are striving to create in Northern Ireland. All sides of the community want to see an effective, accountable policing service to which they can give allegiance and which young people, whatever their background, can join. The Agreement promised a new beginning in this area, and the Patten Report set out how it can be achieved. It is now crucially important that the legislative proposals currently before Parliament at Westminster secure that outcome. The Agreement also contains extensive commitments in the area of human rights, and we are working to ensure that they are delivered. My Government has established an independent Human Rights Commission, with a mandate and remit that surpass the standards set in the Paris Principles. We are in the process of appointing its members.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“In Northern Ireland there is an Executive on which all parts of the community nationalist, unionist and republican are represented as of right, and where Ministers are working constructively together to improve the quality of life for all the people. The North/South Ministerial Council, which brings together Ministers from both jurisdictions on the island, and the Implementation Bodies which it oversees, are developing new ways of working together, delivering tangible benefits in areas of mutual importance and interest. In the British-Irish Council, we are forging new relationships, including with the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. We are firmly committed to ensuring that all other aspects of the Agreement are implemented in full.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, TD, our Prime Minister, was pleased to be amongst the first to sign the declaration entitled: Tolerance and diversity: a vision for the twenty-first century', which was presented at the Millennium Summit. I believe that it will generate a positive approach to the World Conference. I know that our friends in the international community continue to follow developments in the peace process in Ireland with close interest. Indeed, the Governments of many Member States have played an important and concrete part in the successes we have achieved to date. I am particularly pleased therefore to be able to report that in the past year, in the face of many difficulties, we have made real progress towards the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. The new political institutions are up and working well.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“The international criminal tribunals for former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda demonstrate how necessary it is to exercise international jurisdiction to end the culture of impunity where violations of basic human rights occur. Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance persist in all our societies. The 2001 World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance will provide an opportunity to create a vision for the fight against racism and all intolerance for the coming century. I pay tribute here to the United Nations High Commissioner 23 for Human Rights, Mary Robinson.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It underpins all the activities of the United Nations. Putting weapons in the hands of children and sending them into conflict undermines the most basic rights and the innocence of the child. That is a scandal which cannot be allowed to continue. Through the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflicts, which Ireland was among the first to sign, a start has been made in addressing this issue. But much more must be done. The establishment of an International Criminal Court offers a unique opportunity to bring to justice the perpetrators of crimes against humanity and other serious violations of international law. Ireland is moving rapidly to ratify the Statute.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“With the early implementation of the European Union's commitment to grant duty-free and quota-free access to its market by the least developed countries by 2005, a major step in this direction will have been taken. One of the greatest challenges to development is HIV/AIDS. If the spread of AIDS is to be arrested, we need: strong political will in the leadership of the most affected countries; we need greater international resources; we need greater access to essential drugs at prices that are affordable; and we need more research funds for the development of vaccines. The fight against AIDS is now an integral part of all Irish development activities, with funding budgeted for both prevention and the search for vaccines. Respect for human rights is central to the maintenance of peace and the promotion of development.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We must recognize that the burden on those States is unsustainable in the face of the challenges of poverty alleviation and AIDS. Speed is essential in delivering results from the Enhanced Debt Initiative if it is to remain credible. In addition to a European Union contribution of almost $1 billion, Ireland has bilaterally contributed over $40 million in debt relief, although as a matter of principle we have never extended loans in the guise of development assistance. That is why our aid has always been in grant form, and why all of our development aid is also untied. Greater market access by the least developed countries must be a priority.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Indeed, in meeting our targets, we anticipate a fourfold increase by Ireland in our aid over the next seven years. That will greatly increase our ability to make a real impact on the lives of some of the poorest people on earth. Our aid budget is both a test and a reflection of our commitment to the values and principles set out in the Millennium Summit Declaration. We shall not fail in this task we have set ourselves as a country: to be an example to all who could contribute more. As we enter the new millennium, we are faced with several development issues which require immediate attention. We must begin to address the question of debt relief in a more coherent manner. The most heavily indebted countries need a sound basis for the achievement of acceptable levels of growth free from grinding debt.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“And yet, at the same time, we are witnessing an actual decline in the international community's development aid levels. Clearly, that trend must be reversed. It has long been an objective of Irish Governments to bring our development cooperation effort into line with our national economic growth and to meet the United Nations development cooperation target. Last week our Government took an important step forward by when our Taoiseach, our Prime Minister, Bertie Ahern, speaking at the Millennium Summit, committed Ireland to meet the United Nations target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product by the end of 2007, and to reach the level of 0.45 per cent by the end of 2002. This will clearly represent a significant increase in volume terms.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Next year, the United Nations will focus on small arms with the first international conference specifically addressing that issue. We must set ambitious goals for the conference so that we may have a basis for making genuine inroads on the culture of violence fostered by the dissemination of those weapons. 22 Peace and development are essential to each other. Without peace, there can be no development. Without development, peace is hard to sustain. Without freedom from the threat of war, from human rights abuse and from famine, there can be no lasting human progress. The elimination of poverty and access to basic health care and education are crucial to sustainable development. Nonetheless, we witness today an unprecedented contrast between the prosperity of developed countries and the poverty of those that have been left behind.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“All States share a responsibility to advance negotiation on those measures needed to guarantee a world free of nuclear weapons. For our part, Ireland and our partners in the New Agenda Coalition are determined to work vigorously for the achievement of that goal. I referred earlier to the role of conventional arms in conflict situations. The ravages and suffering caused by small arms as well as by landmines are immense. We are, at least in the case of landmines, beginning to see positive results from the implementation of the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction. The practical outcome has been the destruction of over 22 million mines by some 50 States; expenditure on mine clearance has more than doubled, and countless lives have been saved.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“At the Review Conference, the parties to the Non- Proliferation Treaty came closer in their common understanding of what is demanded by the Treaty. In that connection, the unequivocal commitment to the total elimination of their nuclear weapons made by the nuclear-weapon States is of fundamental significance. However, let us not lull ourselves into complacency because we have reached agreement on a programme of action. We now have an opportunity to begin the root-and-branch elimination of these weapons. Progress is primarily dependent on action by the five nuclear-weapon States. States which participate in security arrangements involving nuclear weapons have a particular responsibility to diminish the role of nuclear weapons in security policies.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“That reflects the central role of the Treaty in the achievement of a world free of nuclear weapons. The outcome highlights the underlying premise of the Non- Proliferation Treaty: that these weapons do not provide assurances of peace and security. The threat to humanity posed by their continued existence will remain until we achieve an effective and global ban. There have been welcome and significant reductions by the nuclear-weapon States of their arsenals. But defence strategies based on nuclear weapons continue to include the possible use, even the first use, of those weapons. The Non-Proliferation Treaty is not a charter for the indefinite retention of nuclear weapons by any State. It represents a clear obligation to make nuclear disarmament a reality.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Thirdly, effective operations depend on well- trained peacekeepers. A more integrated approach must be taken to develop training and equipment of United Nations peacekeeping personnel. Ireland's own United Nations Training School has provided such training to over 170 officers from 40 countries, and we intend to enhance this role in cooperation with like-minded countries. To those ends, we will contribute actively in this Assembly to the urgent follow-up of the proposals that have been put forward. Progress in disarmament remains crucially important both to the maintenance of peace and to development. At the sixth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, very considerable efforts were made by all the States parties to ensure a successful outcome.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“Other Member States have also sustained losses, and I would like to express my deep regret at the brutal attack last week on United Nations personnel in West Timor as well as at the recent outrages in Sierra Leone. It is because of our own long, and at times frustrating, experience of peacekeeping that Ireland welcomes the publication of the Brahimi report. In the light of this experience, I will focus in particular on three aspects. First, the United Nations must have the resources and capacity to deliver well-planned and effective peace support operations. The Member States must give the Secretary-General and his staff the means to do the job. Secondly, if the United Nations is to save lives, it must be capable of deploying into conflict areas rapidly. This requires rapid decision-making.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“We therefore welcome the declared intention of the Security Council at the Millennium Summit to ensure that it plays a more effective role in this urgent and necessary task. Peacekeeping is at the heart of Ireland's contribution to the United Nations. For more than 40 years we have participated continuously in United 21 Nations peacekeeping operations. Irish personnel have served under United Nations command in the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. We are proud of the contribution which our peacekeepers have made in so many areas of the world. At the same time, we deeply regret that 82 of our Irish soldiers have died in the service of the United Nations.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“First, the illicit flow of small arms and light weapons into areas of conflict must be stopped; and secondly, trafficking in high-value commodities, particularly the trade in so-called blood diamonds', which has exacerbated conflicts in Africa, must be prevented. Carefully targeted, time-limited sanctions will help to counter this menace. Enhancing the role of the United Nations in peacekeeping is a priority for this session. To broaden that role, we urge an integrated approach combining prevention, settlement and post-conflict peace- building. While the Security Council has a global remit to maintain international peace and security in every region of the world, it is right that it pay special attention at this time to the promotion of durable peace in Africa.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)
“It is this experience of peace-building and development which we will bring to the deliberations of the Security Council if elected by the membership in the coming weeks. Security and development are indivisible and interrelated. Yet too often we in the international community stand aside as hapless witnesses, hesitating to become involved, while the innocent suffer. We need to strengthen the capacity and commitment of the Organization to fulfil its mandates. I therefore strongly welcome the exercise of its authority by the United Nations in East Timor last year and, more recently, in Sierra Leone. It is our duty as Governments to underpin that authority. We must address those issues which prolong conflict, even when root causes become blurred. Let me give two examples.”
2000-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 55 (2000)