YouSaid · the spoken record

Brophy

lines on the record: 28
first: 2021-10-20
most recent: 2022-05-19
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-security-council

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

“Those who fail to do so must be held accountable, and the Council must assume its responsibility to ensure accountability. That is what we actually committed to when we unanimously adopted resolution 2417 (2018). We must recognize our failings and the slow pace of progress. That is why Ireland has worked as an informal focal point on conflict and hunger since joining the Council, to bring forward the provisions of the resolution and to try to make them work. Now more than ever we need to summon the political will and honour our commitments. More importantly, we must have the courage to act to end conflicts and to break the cycle of conflict- induced food insecurity. That is our responsibility; that is our duty. The cost of further political inaction will be devastating — an avoidable and unnecessary human cost.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036 (2022) · source
“Our efforts should support interventions to prevent malnutrition in children rather than waiting until they are on the edge of starvation, giving future generations a chance. Early-warning systems, including data analysis, provide the international community with the means to anticipate food-insecurity crises. That can save lives, protect livelihoods and allow food systems to survive — all the more vital in conflict situations. In closing, time is running out. Our collective and comprehensive action is needed to reverse the frightening trend of conflict-induced food insecurity. It is needed now. We need to ensure that all parties to armed conflicts comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, including in relation to humanitarian access.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036 (2022) · source
“We must match our will to act to the severity of the food-insecurity situation deepening on our watch. My third point is a call to do things differently. The millions upon millions suffering the consequences of conflict-induced food insecurity and the Council’s inability to address the crisis shames us all. Reaching emergency and catastrophic levels of food insecurity does not happen overnight. Just how many red flags and alarm bells are needed? What level of suffering will finally spark a response from the Council? Delivering on early action, as foreseen in resolution 2417 (2018), can prevent food insecurity and famine, especially to safeguard maternal and child health.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036 (2022) · source
“We continue to see flagrant violations of international humanitarian law, including starvation brazenly used as a method of warfare, humanitarian access repeatedly impeded, vulnerable populations denied life-saving humanitarian protection and assistance, and accountability for such grievous actions absent. The war in Ukraine has upended global food- supply chains. It has tightened the screw on already food-insecure countries such as Yemen. As Executive Director Beasley told the Council previously, the impact of this war is that it is forcing humanitarian agencies to make unconscionable choices — to take food from the mouths of those who are hungry to feed the starving. The events of the last months have only reinforced the urgency of the call to action of resolution 2417 (2018).”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036 (2022) · source
“Unless we take real steps to end the conflicts on our agenda, our actions do little more than cruelly sustain millions on the edge of survival. Those conflicts are not unsolvable. War is not inevitable. Ireland knows that from its own experience. However, we need to use all our tools to turn those waging war from the path of violence, so that they embrace dialogue and diplomacy and take the path of peace. It is a path that we can walk with them. My second point is that we have the tools to address conflict-related hunger, but we are failing to use them. In spite of the unanimous commitment by the Council to counter conflict-driven hunger, the promise of resolution 2417 (2018) is not being realized.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036 (2022) · source
“There are emergency food insecurity levels across many conflict-affected countries, including Mali, Haiti, South Sudan and Afghanistan. The illegal, unjustified invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has caused immeasurable suffering in Ukraine. However, the consequences for hunger in our interconnected world will be felt far beyond Ukraine’s sovereign borders. That senseless act of aggression has now forced millions into acute hunger this year. The potential impact on security and stability across multiple countries is deeply worrying. Our response, too often, is to address the symptoms, not the disease. We provide the necessary humanitarian assistance to those trapped in conflicts but lack the will or commitment to end them.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036 (2022) · source
“Today’s discussion is an opportunity to ask how we can meet our responsibility and how to turn our words to action. Let us rise to that opportunity. I wish to share three points. The first is an obvious one, but it cannot be stated enough — conflict is perpetuating immense humanitarian need and driving global food insecurity. Conflict displaces people, destroys livelihoods, disrupts trade and food supplies, damages infrastructure and impinges access to vital resources. In Somalia, famine is a terrifying imminent risk. Conflict in northern Ethiopia and a de facto humanitarian blockade has resulted in 80 per cent of Tigray’s population living in food insecurity. Hundreds of thousands face starvation. Yet the Council has struggled to find the courage to address this crisis.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036 (2022) · source
“Ireland speaks to both conflict and food security from our own lived experiences, which shape our understanding and sharpen our conviction to act. It is unconscionable that, in our world of plenty, millions are on the brink of starvation. Globally, 193 million people are at crisis levels of food insecurity or worse. We cannot avoid the difficult reality — conflict is now the biggest driver of hunger. And, by failing to prevent or resolve the conflicts on our agenda, the Council has a responsibility to bear. As members of the Council, we have a duty to look beyond short term political or strategic interests to the men, women and children who are living the reality of the often-dry reports on our agenda. More and more people are dying from avoidable, human-made, conflict induced hunger, and they are doing so on our watch.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036 (2022) · source
“I would like to thank Secretary Blinken for organizing this debate. Ireland deeply appreciates his leadership in ensuring that conflict and hunger are situated at the heart of the Security Council’s work. Our discussion today could not be timelier. Conflict-induced hunger is present in an increasing number of country situations on the Council’s agenda. It demands our urgent attention and action. Executive Director Beasley, Ms. Menker and Director-General Qu Dongyu could not have been clearer — hunger is on the rise, and conflict is the cause. The statistics and the outlook are grim and difficult to hear. But for the Council to act, to trigger necessary and urgent action, they must be heard by us in the Chamber.”
2022-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9036 (2022) · source
“We are also committed to advancing the women and peace and security agenda within our own country, because that is not only a foreign policy concern confined to countries on the Council’s agenda. The women and peace and security agenda must not be allowed to falter. As we seek to create a more equal and peaceful world, we must commit to empowering the right people, raising up the right voices and spending money on the right things.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“We are also a long-standing contributor to the Peacebuilding Fund, which leads the way by allocating 40 per cent of its investments to supporting gender equality and women’s empowerment. You have called on us, Madam President, to pronounce our political commitment to greater investment in women and peace and security and women peacebuilders. Ireland is fully committed to advancing the women and peace and security agenda in its work here at the Council and in co-chairing the Informal Expert Group on Women and Peace and Security, as a Board member of the Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action and in our development cooperation expenditure.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“It is shocking that, even at the height of a global pandemic, military spending in much of the world was greater than pandemic-related health spending. The evidence clearly shows a strong correlation between militarization and gender inequality. The world would be a different and much better place if welfare were privileged over warfare, especially by investing in the welfare of women and girls. Doing so lifts whole communities out of poverty and marginalization and builds resilient, inclusive, peaceful societies. To that end, Ireland recently made a five-year pledge of $1.5 million to the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund to directly support grass-roots women peacebuilders and women-led organizations.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“While it is very welcome that virtual working methods can facilitate the participation of grass-roots women in the Council, we also need to see civil society physically back in this Chamber and sitting around this horseshoe. There are some important people missing here today. There is a delegation of women from Afghanistan visiting New York today. This debate is for them. It is the reality they are living. And they should be here at the table. My final point is about spending money on the right things. I want to commend the Secretary- General for his report (S/2021/827), which spotlights some uncomfortable realities on the choices that Governments make between military and social spending, prioritizing, as the report puts it, warfare over welfare.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“We need to hear the unvarnished truth if we are to make good decisions grounded in evidence. We also need to hear a diversity of perspectives, such as that of Ms. Umenza Velasco who spoke so honestly here today. Ireland placed women civil society briefers at the heart of our presidency last month. In that context, we understood starkly the grave risks faced by women peacebuilders who raise up their voices, and in particular the risks faced by civil society briefers who speak to us around this table. Women peacebuilders must be able to participate safely. It is incumbent upon us, as Council members, to ensure that. We cannot allow women to be silenced by the risk of reprisals against them or their loved ones.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“We are actually grappling with that challenge in Ireland, including through the establishment of an independent review. In that connection, I thank the Women of Honour group and serving personnel who have spoken out on the need for change. We need only look to Afghanistan to understand what happens when women are excluded from politics and public life. The rights of women and girls should never be the last item on the agenda, or something to return to once everything else is agreed. The Council must stand with Afghan women and girls, whose erasure from public life can never be normalized. That brings me to my second point, on raising up the right voices. It is critical that the Council listen to and heed women leaders, human rights defenders and civil society.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“That is why we welcome the emphasis Kenya has placed today on empowering local women peacebuilders, and in particular on the role that peacekeeping operations can play in supporting women’s participation. That is all the more acute in the context of transitions. We thank all Council members for their joint work on the recent Irish-led resolution on peacekeeping transitions (resolution 2594 (2021)). That resolution importantly underlines that engagement by peace operations and national Governments with local communities and civil society, especially women, is key to managing the inevitable obstacles and setbacks on the long road to peace. Peacekeeping needs to be gender responsive. Increasing the numbers of women peacekeepers is an important part of that, but it is also about deeper cultural change in our militaries.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“First, we must focus on empowering the right people. In order to fulfil the Security Council’s mandate to maintain international peace and security, we must recognize a fundamental principle, that is, that those who make war cannot and should not have a monopoly on the terms of peace. Peacebuilding efforts that take account only, or chiefly, of the needs and wants of the parties to a conflict are doomed to fail. For peace to work — and, importantly, to be sustained — it must be inclusive. We know that only too well from experience on our own island. That means peace processes with women at the table participating fully and equally. There is no substitute for the direct participation of women in peace talks.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“I am delighted to join the Security Council today under the Kenyan presidency for the open debate on women and peace and security. Given the agreement among Ireland, Mexico and Kenya to form a trio of women and peace and security presidencies, I am especially pleased to be giving expression to our shared commitment to advancing that agenda. My thanks also go to the Secretary- General for his remarks and to the briefers, namely, Executive Director Bahous, Special Envoy Diop and Ms. Umenza Velasco, whose grass-roots perspective was particularly enlightening. Ireland’s statement this morning will focus on three key things that we need to do to close the persistent gap between rhetoric and reality on women and peace and security. Put simply, we need to empower the right people, raise up the right voices and spend money on the right things.”
2021-10-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8886 (2021) · source
“At the same time, we must also keep the women and peace and security agenda and the youth, peace and security agenda at the fore in our efforts to develop and implement long-lasting and sustainable solutions for the region.”
2021-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8884 (2021) · source
“Those efforts must be supported at the regional level through strengthened collaboration between neighbours and regional organizations. Clearly, at the international level, we have a shared interest in the development of a peaceful and prosperous Great Lakes region that serves the needs of its people. To address these issues, we must renew our support for the implementation of the PSC Framework and regional initiatives to enhance coordination and cooperation. We must ensure that effective governance and controls are in place to enable the lawful and transparent management of natural resources. We must work collectively to respond to urgent humanitarian needs, and we must uphold our commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law.”
2021-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8884 (2021) · source
“For Ireland, it is clear that the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in national, regional and international efforts is essential for developing sustainable solutions to the root causes of conflict and the drivers of instability. Those solutions include effective natural-resource management and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes across the region. Advancing gender equality and ensuring meaningful youth engagement drives transformation and accelerates progress on peace, security and development. The root causes of conflict and drivers of instability are shared challenges and require shared solutions. Those solutions need to be delivered through the active role of the nations of the region.”
2021-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8884 (2021) · source
“With 15 million displaced people and rising levels of food insecurity and acute malnutrition — particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the cycle of conflict and hunger has been compounded by drivers of instability such as climate change — the region is contending with one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world. Action to address that crisis and protect the most vulnerable requires a collective response, and we urge all parties to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance. All parties must adhere to international humanitarian law and international human rights law. For too long, women and youth have borne the worst of the hardships resulting from conflict and insecurity.”
2021-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8884 (2021) · source
“Ireland will continue to play its part through ongoing participation in, and advocacy for, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and the implementation of the European Union Conflict Minerals Regulation. Through our membership in the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development, Ireland will continue to engage with partners to share best practices and to work together to limit the negative impacts of mining and ensure that it contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Thirdly, the development of long-lasting and sustainable solutions requires the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law, coupled with a coherent, coordinated response to the humanitarian crises facing the region.”
2021-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8884 (2021) · source
“Good governance is essential to ensuring that the region’s abundant natural resources become the basis of inclusive and sustainable economic growth and development. The Secretary-General’s latest report on the implementation of the Framework for Peace, Security and Cooperation for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region (S/2021/836) notes progress in that regard, and we commend ongoing efforts by countries of the Great Lakes, regional organizations and partners to develop a holistic approach to natural-resource management. We look forward to seeing progress in implementing the recommendations from the recent high-level workshop in Khartoum aimed at curbing illicit exploitation and the trade in natural resources.”
2021-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8884 (2021) · source
“Secondly, the illegal exploitation of, and trade in, minerals and natural resources is a significant driver of conflict in Africa, and in particular in the Great Lakes region, where competition for control of resource-rich areas fuels hostilities and violence. Such activities have a multiplier effect on other drivers of instability. Climate change, population displacement, extreme poverty, hunger, socioeconomic inequality and the lack of opportunities for young people exacerbate the challenges across the entire region. Ireland supports national, regional and international efforts to ensure that lawful, transparent and effective controls are available to support the management of natural resources and prevent their illegal exploitation.”
2021-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8884 (2021) · source
“The establishment of the Contact Coordination Group between key stakeholders in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region in order to focus on the use of non-military measures to address conflict and instability is an important and very welcome development. The United Nations will continue to play an important role in supporting the region, and Ireland welcomes the Strategy for Peace Consolidation, Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution in the Great Lakes Region. Its implementation will require the continued concerted efforts of national, regional and international partners.”
2021-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8884 (2021) · source
“Ireland recognizes the progress achieved by countries of the region in improving and enhancing regional cooperation across political, security and economic sectors. Sustainable peace can be achieved only through close cooperation with regional and subregional organizations and international partners. The Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region remains crucial. It provides the foundation for building a shared vision of regional peace, security and socioeconomic development. Ireland looks forward to the tenth high-level meeting of the PSC Regional Oversight Mechanism, to take place by the end of the year. We hope that meeting will maintain momentum and help translate recent progress into shared prosperity for the people of the Great Lakes region.”
2021-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8884 (2021) · source
“I would like to thank Kenya for hosting this important debate. I also wish to thank our briefers: Special Envoy Xia, Ambassador Caholo and Assistant Secretary-General Pobee. I would also like to recognize our colleagues from Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I am very pleased that the Security Council today adopted presidential statement S/PRST/2021/19 on this important issue. It is only by addressing the root causes of conflict and drivers of instability that it is truly possible to build sustainable and lasting peace. I wish to make three points in our debate today. First, regional cooperation is essential in addressing the root causes of conflict and drivers of instability in the Great Lakes region.”
2021-10-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8884 (2021) · source