YouSaid · the spoken record

Byrne Nason

lines on the record: 1,154
first: 2018-04-16
most recent: 2022-07-29
sittings or episodes: 170
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

“Put simply, such strategies stand the greatest chance of success. We welcome the focus ofthe Secretary General's report (S/2019/373) on the ways in which conflict affects people differently, with specific focus on the protection needs of women, children, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons and refugees. I am reminded of the powerful words of Ms. Nujeen Mustapha, when she spoke in this Chamber just last month (see S/PV.8515), urging the Council to make "no one left behind" more than a mere slogan. That is our responsibility, both in language and in law. Let us get on with that job. How do we do that? That brings me to my second point - we must work to ensure respect for international humanitarian law. Importantly, we have to strengthen accountability for all violations.”
2019-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8534 (2019) · source
“We are delighted that the Indonesian presidency has convened this debate. As we mark 20 years of the protection of civilians agenda in the Security Council and 70 years since the signing of the Geneva Conventions, my country, Ireland, sincerely welcomes the culture of protection that has been brought to the work of the Security Council. We also welcome the strides that have been made in increasing adherence to and, importantly, respect for international humanitarian law. Drawing from the Indonesian presidency's very useful concept note (S/2019/3 85, annex), I want to make four brief points. First, let us recognize the threshold issue - we must listen to the voices of civilians themselves. Enabling and listening to local stakeholders ensures the development of strategies that are actually responsive to local need where they are.”
2019-05-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8534 (2019) · source
“Put simply, the horrific scale of ongoing conflict- related sexual violence is a stain on our common humanity. We have to close the accountability gap with determination and with unashamed zero tolerance. For our part, as an aspiring elected member of the Security Council for the period 2021-2022, Ireland will continue to work for gender equality and aim to break down the power imbalances we see as being at the heart of such violence. We will support bringing that agenda again to this table. We are listening carefully to survivors about their needs, which naturally include sexual and reproductive health-care services. We want to see women in all aspects of peacekeeping and peacebuilding. It is there that we as women belong and where we will make a difference if we are allowed to get on with the task.”
2019-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8514 (2019) · source
“It is a small practical example of the kind of gender-sensitive approach that should be integrated at every level of our work. This year, Ireland will conduct training for peacekeeping contingents in the investigation of conflict-related sexual and gender- based violence for the African Union, the United Nations and NATO partners. We provide support to mechanisms such as the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism in Syria and for the work of Justice Rapid Response in ensuring that gender expertise be made available in the investigation of serious human rights Violations. We also strongly support efforts by the Security Council to bolster the use of conflict-related sexual violence as a criterion for imposing sanctions and for greater alignment across thematic and country-specific sanctions regimes.”
2019-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8514 (2019) · source
“When the baby was born, the IRC worked with local women leaders, who intervened in Nyamal's family and she was eventually reintegrated. The example of Nyamal demonstrates not just the complexity and deep impact of sexual Violence but also how addressing harmful, embedded cultural norms play an important role in recovery. Support to Nyamal would not have been possible without working with a local partner. We must do everything we can to increase our support to local organizations and to work with civil society, in particular human rights defenders. In our peacekeeping work, Ireland is also proactive. As seasoned peacekeepers, our defence forces regularly conduct patrols with mixed gender teams around camps where young women and girls are collecting firewood or water.”
2019-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8514 (2019) · source
“In partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), in 2016 Ireland established the world's first response mechanism dedicated solely to gender-based violence programming. We have seen how a survivor-based response saves the lives of women and girls every day. Our support has helped survivors such as Nyamal, one of millions displaced in South Sudan as conflict swept through her village. Nyamal was separated from her family and in the chaos that followed she was gang-raped. She was able to access a safe space for women and girls, where she received psychosocial support and medical services. But for Nyamal, like millions of other survivors, the impact and trauma of sexual violence endured, including through social stigma. After she discovered she was pregnant, Nyamal was rejected by her family.”
2019-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8514 (2019) · source
“Poverty, displacement and vulnerability increase the risk of sexual violence, especially for those in flight. We see that dynamic of power and vulnerability playing out again and again. Gender equality is at the heart of Ireland's foreign, development and humanitarian policies. This year in Ireland we have already increased our funding to preventing gender-based violence in conflict- affected and fragile States by more than one third. Our determination in such work comes not only from conviction but also from lived experience. Northern Ireland lived that experience intensely. For instance, we saw there that the decommissioning of weapons, demobilization of paramilitary groups and growing confidence in the police service greatly reduced the threat of firearms in domestic violence situations. One form of violence stops with the other.”
2019-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8514 (2019) · source
“We must keep working, doggedly and with determination, to build the structures, in language and in laws, that can bring an end to sexual violence. Resolution 2467 (2019), adopted today, is a step on the road, but it is only one step, and we share the regret expressed by the representatives of Belgium, France, South Africa, the Netherlands and other countries that the text did not include references to sexual and reproductive health-care services for the victims and survivors of sexual violence in conflict. As the French Ambassador said, that is not the end of the road, and we believe that the Security Council must assume its responsibility and recognize such needs. We should be mindful too that gender-based violence affects not just women and girls but also men, boys and members of sexual and gender minorities.”
2019-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8514 (2019) · source
“Ireland recently concluded two years as Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), working on precisely that task - progress towards gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. The debates at the Commission on the Status of Women are as intense and polarized as any here in the Security Council. No one should be under any illusion about the fact that the efforts to balance the power relations between men and women are deeply, deeply political, and today's debate is clearly no less so. I am proud that the CSW's recent conclusions (E/CN.6/2019/L.3) contain vital language on the need to address the effects of armed conflict and post- conflict situations on women and girls, including victims and survivors of sexual violence.”
2019-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8514 (2019) · source
“I would like to thank Germany for convening today's debate and all the briefers for their powerful statements. I particularly welcome the fact that Pramila Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, whose work we strongly support, is still with us at this stage in the day listening to the debate. I thank her for being here. As war is fundamentally about power and the abuse of power, so too is sexual violence. Sexual violence is rooted in women's political, social and economic exclusion and insecurity. It is an abuse of power rooted in historical power imbalances, primarily between men and women. To eliminate the scourge of sexual and gender-based violence, our first and most fundamental task must be achieving gender equality at every level.”
2019-04-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8514 (2019) · source
“Acting on those commitments should bring about the structural and institutional transformation that we all want to see. All of those kinds of issues are the type on which we would shine a light should Ireland be lucky enough to be given a non-permanent place at this table in the Security Council 2020 elections. In conclusion, our own President, Michael D. Higgins, has called on all of us to act "as conscious agitators", who must work to "place the dignity and participation of women and girls' rights at the heart of our actions globally". Quite frankly, we need to do better. We need to do better to ensure women's participation in peacekeeping, not only because it makes peacekeeping better but, put simply, because it is our right.”
2019-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8508 (2019) · source
“We are asking them to nominate women for the training that we provide. In our next pledged training, over one third of those participating will be women. We see that as progress, but the job is not yet done. We recognize the United Nations own efforts in mainstreaming gender, including through fully resourced senior gender advisers in its own United Nations operations across the globe. The Department of Peace Operations gender-parity strategy holds mission leadership to account for meeting gender-related goals. That is how it should be. We want to see that the full value of women peacekeepers' skills and training is realized, and that our valuable women peacekeepers are not sidelined, or that their work is confined to so- called women's issues.”
2019-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8508 (2019) · source
“We very much recognize the need for broader cultural and structural shifts in security organizations and institutions across the board. To put it in concrete terms, our own Defence Forces are actively implementing gender adviser roles across their headquarters. We have gender focal points to back that up, including in all overseas deployments. We have also implemented family-friendly policies, such as shortened or shared overseas deployments and the semesterization of professional military courses. Those are designed to benefit both men and women, of course, but also to address the obstacles that can inhibit women's active and meaningful participation. However, we are not stopping there. Going beyond what we are doing ourselves, we are also working with our partner peacekeeping Member States.”
2019-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8508 (2019) · source
“Nonetheless, we recognize that our women peacekeepers are trained for the most dangerous of situations, and it should not even be questioned that they are capable of performing the same tasks as their male colleagues. Every role in the Irish Defence Forces is open to both men and women. Ireland's Defence Forces has initiated its own gender, diversity and inclusion office and developed its own action plan on resolution 1325 (2000). We firmly believe that making positive, practical and quantitative changes to increase the number of women peacekeepers is essential. However, we are also conscious that that is not a panacea to the inequality that persists in peacekeeping. Put simply, one cannot just add women and stir.”
2019-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8508 (2019) · source
“The uniformed gender-parity strategy, gender mainstreaming and the introduction of technical expertise are of course all very welcome, but the fact remains that we are still falling short. We need to understand why, and we need to do something about that. With over 60 years of United Nations peacekeeping experience, the longest unbroken record of any Member State, Ireland well knows the importance and urgency of ensuring increased female participation. The presence of women peacekeepers challenges traditional gender norms: it challenges them for the better. It also means that local women find it easier to engage with peacekeepers, not least in preventing sexual exploitation and abuse.”
2019-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8508 (2019) · source
“As a representative of a country of seasoned peacekeepers, I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for convening today's debate on what we see as the critical issue of women in peacekeeping. We are speaking today over lunchtime because it is important that the Action for Peacekeeping pledges and the Secretary-General's reform agenda on United Nations peace operations be acted upon. The targets for increasing the number of women in peacekeeping at every level are significant. That means ensuring that we apply a gender perspective and empower serving women, in order to improve the actual effectiveness of United Nations peacekeeping across the globe. Despite some progress, we in Ireland remain concerned about the rate at which we are succeeding.”
2019-04-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8508 (2019) · source
“Let me close by underlining Ireland's unwavering commitment to working closely with the African Union, the United Nations and all Member States to seize the momentum to silence the guns and see the great continent of Africa truly free from conflict.”
2019-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8473 (2019) · source
“We look forward to working with all States Members of the United Nations, and particularly with the African Union, to make progress. Through Ireland's current membership of the Peacebuilding Commission and as a sincere candidate for a seat on the Security Council in under two years from now, in 2021-2022, we want to reassure members of our support. We would also like to say today that we believe that Africa needs greater representation at this table to correct the historic injustice that has been done to Africa. Finally, rest assured, Sir, that Ireland will also work tirelessly to champion locally led, nationally owned and internationally supported peace processes. In his address to the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, the Secretary-General said if that you want to see the winds of hope blowing, look to Africa. I think he is right.”
2019-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8473 (2019) · source
“We all know that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons continues to inflame and prolong conflicts. Our colleague from the International Committee of the Red Cross underlined that point in his remarks earlier today. We share the Secretary-General's goal of restoring disarmament to its central role in building international peace and security. As a concrete manifestation of Ireland's support to the agenda for disarmament, yesterday our Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, announced that Ireland will act as a champion for three important actions outlined in the agenda. One of those actions is specifically aimed at silencing the guns by building understanding of the impact of arms on conflict management.”
2019-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8473 (2019) · source
“Peacekeeping operations are the most visible and among the most powerful tools the United Nations has to promote peace and stability. As the Member State with the longest continuous service to United Nations peacekeeping, of more than 60 years, Ireland is acutely aware of the challenges facing United Nations peace operations in different countries and regions. The diversity of such challenges underscores the importance of the work of coordinating with regional partners, such as the African Union, and of empowering local stakeholders. The Secretary-General's reform efforts to bridge the peace-security-humanitarian nexus should also be an ambition for our partnership with the African Union. It is, of course, in step with the effective implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
2019-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8473 (2019) · source
“Ireland applauds the African Union's recent advances towards silencing the guns through the development of continental early warning systems, the Panel of the Wise, special envoys and ad hoc mediation panels. We see that such steps make a tangible and incremental difference to conflict resolution and peacebuilding. As Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women, I want to recognize the unique role African women play in silencing the guns. I am pleased to see that role cited in resolution 2457 (1019), adopted today. Specific reference to FemWise-Africa, the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation and the African Women Leaders Network strengthens and gives force to our message. We know from our own experience in Ireland that when women get involved, things start getting done.”
2019-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8473 (2019) · source
“The role ofthe Economic Community ofWest African States in mediating the post-election crisis in The Gambia and the recent peace accord in the Central African Republic, achieved after intense negotiations led by the African Union, are for us both excellent examples of the success that we can all hope for when regional efforts deliver with wider international support. On the island of Ireland, our own locally led peace process has benefited hugely from the sustained, generous and sensitive support of our own regional organization, the European Union. Indeed, simply put, our membership of the European Union played a key role in putting us on the road to ending violent conflict.”
2019-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8473 (2019) · source
“I thank you, Sir, for organizing today's debate and the work of the Council on resolution 2457 (2019), which we are very happy to co-sponsor. We are here because we think that this debate matters. Ireland believes that cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations is critical to conflict resolution and prevention; to building peaceful, inclusive societies; and, of course, as we have heard from many speakers, to achieving our shared Sustainable Development Goals. We have seen first-hand direct evidence of the instrumental role that regional organizations in Africa can play in ending crises and building lasting peace.”
2019-02-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8473 (2019) · source
“Ireland therefore not only supports but speaks out in favour of reforming the Security Council so that the historic injustices of African underrepresentation can be addressed and more voices brought to the table to support the discussion on peace and security in the region. Allow me to conclude by highlighting that the first step in strengthening international support for African- led peace operations is listening. We want to listen to the informed and committed peacebuilders from the region itself, and I am delighted we are doing that today. I thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this debate, which provides us a much-needed opportunity to listen.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“Ireland's Defence Forces are currently on the ground in Burkina Faso, training troops in countering improvised explosive devices as they deploy to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali in neighbouring Mali. We also provide training in the protection of civilians, which is a core mandate of all peacekeeping missions. That sort of capacity- building is really essential for successful peacekeeping missions. Council members can rest assured that Ireland will continue to prioritize peacekeeping both now and as an aspiring member of the Council for the 2021-2022 term. African-led peacekeeping operations are crucial to global peace and security. Africa's own investment and ownership of those operations is fundamental.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“However, it cannot detract from the broader question of how the international community can best support Africa to finance its own initiatives for peace and security. That is a serious question that we all need to address. Ireland welcomes the launch of the African Union Peace Fund, just last week, and its ambitious targets. The transformative potential of the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will substantially reinforce efforts to achieve sustainable peace and security in the region. My country, Ireland, sees the work of the Peacebuilding Commission as central to those efforts. Finally, we see scope for continuing to invest in capacity-building and training.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“For its part, Ireland has signed the voluntary compact on preventing and addressing sexual exploitation and abuse, and we encourage all States to do the same. Ireland's Taoiseach, our Prime Minister, is a committed member of the Secretary-General's Circle of Leadership on that issue. Thirdly, in line with the concept note (S/2018/1004, annex), we believe we must look again at financing options from within, but also beyond the Organization's budget. It is clear that the current United Nations financing structure for African- led peace operations is unsustainable. The ongoing question of the role of the Organization's regular budget is an important one, and it warrants serious discussion.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“We should ensure that there is full use of the opportunities of the Joint United Nations-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. We also encourage greater communication between the Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council. Emphasis should be placed on operational cooperation that makes a real difference on the ground. Joint analysis, planning and reviews are all fundamental. We must also implement the Secretary General's zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. That problem has been shamefully evident in peacekeeping operations in many regions. Efforts to enhance the United Nations-AU partnership should also place emphasis on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse and finding justice for victims.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“Equally, Ireland believes it is important to ensure that the peacekeeping efforts we make respond to local needs. Mandates must match the realities of the conflict on the ground where it is happening. Resources must match the mandate; and they must of course be reinforced by political will around this table. Ireland has endorsed the Declaration of Shared Commitments on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations as part of the Secretary-General's Action for Peacekeeping initiative. The Declaration highlights the importance of enhanced partnerships with regional organizations. Our collective challenge now, of course, is to actually turn those commitments into action and reality on the ground. That brings me to my second point, namely, that we must learn from the mechanisms in place and build upon the daily efforts we are already making.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“I want to touch on a few areas that we see as particularly useful, using your concept note as a guide. First, improving cooperation between the United Nations and the African Union (AU) is absolutely fundamental. Ireland's first deployment of an armed peacekeeping contingent was in the Congo in 1960. Nearly 60 years later, we are still actively contributing to United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa and the Middle East. We, as peacekeepers, are acutely aware of the growing and diverse challenges facing United Nations peace operations in different countries and regions. The range and complexity ofthe challenges underscore the importance of working closely with regional partners, such as the African Union, and, very important, of empowering local stakeholders.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this important debate. I also want to thank the Secretary-General and Commissioner Chergui for their valuable briefings. Ireland aligns itself with the statement to be made by the observer of the European Union. At the outset, as a country with a long tradition of peacekeeping, the people and the Government of Ireland want to express their sincere sympathy to the peoples and the Governments of Tanzania and Malawi for the very tragic losses ofbrave peacekeepers recently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ireland fully supports the need to mobilize the international community to focus on and, perhaps more important, to invest in African peace and security. We are inspired by your useful concept note (S/2018/1004, annex), Mr. President.”
2018-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8407 (2018) · source
“For a small State like Ireland, that means that every State is given an opportunity to have its voice heard and to have its concerns objectively weighed. As an aspiring member of the Security Council for the period 2021-2022, we say that with sincere conviction. As we commemorate the centenary of the end of First World War, we are very much reminded of the high costs of unilateralism and unchecked nationalism and the wars that it engendered. The ruinous fighting of 100 years ago is the hard evidence of our need to win today's battle for multilateralism.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“We also believe there should be consideration for a designated seat for small island States, but it goes beyond the question of composition. We would like to see an end to the use of the veto in this organ. In the meantime, we fully support the Franco-Mexican initiative to limit the use of veto in cases of mass atrocities. My country, Ireland, is convinced that we need to combat the narrative that collective engagement somehow diminishes our sovereignty. A transactional diplomacy of the strong against the weak represents the real threat to our standing as independent nations. As the concept note points out, the most basic principle of multilateralism is that matters in the international arena must be dealt with in a fair and just manner.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“We should not let that go unnoticed or unreported. Ireland believes that we need to press for change, not simply for reform of the administrative and budgetary structures of the multilateral institutions. We need simple, straightforward, hard-nosed political reform at the United Nations - none more necessary than here in the Security Council. Political reforms at the United Nations, in particular in the composition of the Council, would give an increased sense of ownership and participation on the part of Member States, our general public, and would strengthen its standing. We believe in particular that the anachronistic injustice in relation to the underrepresentation of Africa needs to be corrected, and soon.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“We need to simply implement multilateral agreements that we have signed on to, such as the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Goals. That will give credibility and strength to our system. We need to make the multilateral agenda relevant by ensuring that key constituencies, such as women and youth, are centrally included and involved. We must enhance our partnerships. Today, no one can go it alone. The United Nations must strengthen its capacity to engage locally, nationally and regionally, and with international partners. We see a role for regional and subregional organizations, civil society actors and the private sector. We must communicate our own successes. International organizations are doing great work in many areas such as health, education and child advocacy.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“As the concept note for this debate rightly states, we must grapple with the intertwining of traditional and non-traditional security issues. Collectively, we must acknowledge the pivotal nature of new and different factors, such as climate change and migration. Who could not have been convinced by the statement in the general debate by the Prime Minister of Barbados, in which she described the impact of flooding on her island State (see A/73/PV.13)? Who could have been left in any doubt upon hearing the words of the Prime Minister of Lesotho about the unprecedented magnitude of the challenges facing migrants and the implications for us all (ibid.)? Time today is very brief, and I cannot hope to detail how we can strengthen the overall system of the United Nations. But there are a few things that are obvious, if not easy.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“We took particular note of two questions posed by China's Foreign Minister: "Should we stay committed to multilateralism or let unilateralism have its way? Should we seek to uphold the architecture of the world order or allow it to be eroded and collapse?" (A/73/PV12, p. 17) We must be very clear in our answers to the choices offered as we seek to strengthen multilateralism and the role of the United Nations. In doing so, of course, we must defend the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. At the same time we must recognize that there are new and very different threats to international peace and security, to the very survival of the planet and to the stable development of our societies. In some respects, the debate is no longer about effective multilateralism, but about saving the multilateral system.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“He insisted that the Organization's work simply cannot be replicated by transactional and selective bilateral engagement in which the powerful dominate and decisions are no longer based on the strength of argument and the need for fair outcomes. It might seem at this hour on Friday afternoon a bit cliche'd to say it, but it is true that our challenges are too great and too global for anyone to take a unilateral approach in the long run. History shows us that those who took such a path have had to return to the multilateral family to share burdens and look for shared solutions. One of the many Member States that expressed worry in the general debate about the current trends in global governance was China.”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“I thank you, Sir, for organizing today's meeting. The Irish delegation sees it as a welcome opportunity and a continuation of the high-level debate at this year's General Assembly. Indeed, as your very useful concept note (S/2018/982, annex) points out, Mr. President, the vast majority of Member States at the General Assembly spoke up in defence of multilateralism - and many did so with great passion. Ireland was one of those. Against the background of increasing international instability and uncertainty, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister described his concerns for the future effectiveness of the United Nations (see A/73/PV.13).”
2018-11-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8395 (2018) · source
“We must not perpetuate the cycle of violence by leaving young women out of the debate. We also need to engage young men, as they are just as important as young women in implementing the women and peace and security agenda, one that we care deeply about in Ireland. If Ireland is elected to the Security Council for the period 2021-2022, I think the Council will find a courageous and, ifI may say so, feisty advocate for women and peace and security in the Irish delegation. In conclusion, as Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women, I am professionally and personally deeply committed to realizing the true transformative potential of women and girls. As Mary Robinson, the first-elected female President of Ireland recognized, the hand that rocks the cradle can also rock the system.”
2018-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8382 (2018) · source
“In addition to the work I have mentioned, Ireland fully supports today's focus on women's political and economic empowerment. We believe that our calls for women's equal participation in politics must be matched by our calls for women's equal participation in society and the economy. We also want to see an end to the structural barriers that limit women's political and economic empowerment. In the Commission on the Status of Women, we are acutely aware of how many insidious barriers there are to that empowerment and how deep-rooted they are. Ireland is working with the Commission on the Status of Women to overcome them. As Ireland looks to celebrate 100 years of women's suffrage in December, we also look ahead to the brilliant young women waiting in the wings. Ireland is a strong advocate of the youth, peace and security agenda.”
2018-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8382 (2018) · source
“In the Irish Defence Forces, we have a dedicated and ambitious action plan on women and peace and security. It has started to show results. Preparations for Ireland's third national action plan on resolution 1325 (2000) are now in full swing. We are engaging Government, civil society and academia across the country. At the top of our agenda are issues such as preventing violent extremism, listening to the experiences of migrants and refugees and considering the important question of masculinity. Ireland was very pleased to host the second regional acceleration of resolution 1325 (2000) in Dublin earlier this year, collaborating with our European partners on the women and peace and security agenda. I am currently the proud Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women.”
2018-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8382 (2018) · source
“Ireland welcomes the increase in the number of female and civil-society briefers at the Security Council. We believe other voices should be heard here. In that regard, today is a good day. We also support calls for stronger gender analysis across the Council's entire agenda of work, including in its reporting from mission visits. To echo the Secretary-General's welcome report, peacekeeping operations and uniformed personnel remain the most visible representatives of the United Nations worldwide, working directly with communities. Ireland's Defence Forces have an unbroken record of 60 years of participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Peacekeeping is a part of the DNA of the Irish nation; we often say that we are as proud of the blue beret as we are of the shamrock.”
2018-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8382 (2018) · source
“Ireland believes that we have a duty to change that - we have an obligation to work to support women's leadership and empowerment across the development and peacebuilding nexus. We take that duty seriously. Ireland's international development policy seeks to strengthen the voices of women and girls in decision-making at all levels. We are proud to actively support and, indeed, advocate for greater roles for civil- society organizations. We know that women's voices are louder at the civil-society and local grass-roots levels. We want to see the volume turned up. Women are gifted in mediation and peacebuilding. We want to see that capacity leveraged. With that in mind, my country is a founding member and core donor to the Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund.”
2018-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8382 (2018) · source
“I am very proud that one of those negotiators is here with me today and that she has been so willing to share her experience and expertise with women peacebuilders across the globe. Ireland welcomes the focus of the Secretary- General's report this year (S/2018/900) on women's meaningful participation in negotiating peace. Meaningful is the operative word. We have long moved beyond gestures and symbols. We know that we need hands-on, influential roles for women in which they can make the critical life-and-death differences in ending conflict and building peace. It is now almost a cliche to say that women's participation significantly increases the probability of sustainable peace. What is shocking, however, is that this reality is so little respected globally.”
2018-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8382 (2018) · source
“I would like to thank you, Madam President, for convening this debate today. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General, the Executive Director of UN-Women and Ms. Siniora Atallah for their very important messages to us today. I am speaking before the Security Council today because this issue matters deeply to my country, Ireland. In fact, I am speaking because we owe a great deal to women in Ireland, particularly northern Ireland, where women helped make peace possible on our island after decades of violent conflict. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the result of a peace process in which women played a critical role on the streets, in community groups and at the negotiation table in bringing about sustainable peace.”
2018-10-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8382 (2018) · source
“Yes, but in reality the solution of each and every human conflict is to be found in the simple and obvious action of someone taking the first steps on the road to reconciliation and cooperation." Those two women from Northern Ireland took those first steps. We can only hope that others follow their example.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“We are also one ofthe 14 States that, along with the European Union, are signatories to the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies. We fully support the Special Representative of the Secretary- General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. We admire her work and enjoy excellent cooperation with her Office, and we will continue to support her financially. In conclusion, I wish to return to those two women from Northern Ireland and their Peace Prize day. The Committee also said on that day: "It would be simple to maintain that this is all self-evident and that anyone could say this in despair at the meaningless sufferings of war.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“I urge Member States to consider those powerful agreed conclusions, in conjunction with the Secretary-General's recommendations on conflict- related sexual violence. At the national level, Ireland has incorporated measures to prevent sexual violence into our second action plan on women and peace and security. The Irish Defence Forces have mainstreamed women and peace and security into their policies, with gender advisers and gender focal points incorporated into all units. We have a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, which is very strictly enforced. Ireland believes that engaging men and boys is critical to preventing sexual violence in conflict. Irish Aid works hard and supports non-governmental partners in delivering such programmes.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source
“We all recognize that the majority of victims of conflict-related sexual violence are marginalized women and girls, often living in rural areas that are well beyond the reach of law enforcement and protection. Rural women are vulnerable to displacement and are often forced to flee following struggles for the control of land and resources. Women's physical security is therefore inextricably linked with their political, social and economic security. Women bear the brunt of conflict at every level. As Chair ofthe Commission on the Status ofWomen, Ireland was pleased to see the real vulnerabilities of rural women highlighted in the Secretary-General's report and in our agreed conclusions, at this year's sixty-second session, on challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls.”
2018-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8234 (2018) · source