YouSaid · the spoken record

Mawe

lines on the record: 141
first: 2014-06-11
most recent: 2017-05-25
sittings or episodes: 18
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

“I would first like to take this opportunity to convey my deepest condolences to the people and Governments of all the countries touched by this terrible event, and in particular the families of the innocent victims. Ireland itself remembers the loss of an Irish-born citizen who was aboard Flight MH-17, and I wish once again to convey our sympathies to her family for their devastating loss. A little more than a year ago, the Council gathered here in the days following the downing of Flight MH- 17. In a clear indication of the manner in which the event affected and shocked each and every nation, an unequivocal message was delivered through the unanimous adoption of resolution 2166 (2014).”
2015-07-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7498 (2015) · source
“There needs to be accountability for all such actions, including where necessary and appropriate through referral to the International Criminal Court. In Ireland's case, we are working closely with our partners in the EU and through the United Nations to coordinate our efforts and to strengthen the tools at our disposal. In conclusion, Irelandjoins with our EU colleagues in encouraging the Secretary-General to continue to include the issue of protection of journalists in armed conflicts in his reports on the protection of civilians. We also encourage the Security Council to address the protection of journalists, including through public statements, reporting requirements for peacekeeping missions and the strengthening of mandates.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“Other countries were not so safe, however, with 99 media personnel killed worldwide in 2014. If the general trend continues, all but nine of these crimes will go unpunished. This is not good enough, and Ireland underlines the need to end the widespread impunity associated with attacks onjournalists. The investigation, prosecution, conviction and punishment of such attacks make an essential contribution to prevention by deterring would-be attackers. Unfortunately, attacks onjournalists are often committed at the State's behest or with its tacit consent, exacerbating the problem of impunity. Ireland is appalled by the terrorist attacks on freedom of speech, including the murder ofjournalists by groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Sham.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“The policy highlights the important contribution media can make in holding Governments and others to account and includes a commitment to support initiatives that can strengthen their role in key partner countries. In Tanzania, for example, support is provided to the Tanzania Media Fund, which provides grants to media professionals and institutions in order to improve journalism standards, including investigative journalism. In Zambia, support is provided to the Media Institute of Southern Africa to support community radio stations, a source of over 80 per cent onambians' current affairs information and an important tool for enhancing domestic accountability. The World Press Freedom Index reports that no journalists were killed in these countries in 2014.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“In those resolutions we remind States of their obligation to respect and fully protect the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of all individuals, including the rights to the freedom of expression and opinion and to assemble peacefully and to associate freely, both online and offline. If those basic freedoms are respected, citizens can exercise their democratic rights, including that of dissent, and meaningfully contribute to the governance of their State. Ireland's policy for international development, entitled One World, One Future, recognizes the powerful role that a diverse, pluralistic and professional media environment can have in providing access to information and debate and in ensuring the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression as recognized in international human rights law.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“A free and independent media is indispensable for democracy. Supporting civil society space has been one of Ireland's key commitments for our membership of the Human Rights Council. In the light of that, Ireland supported resolution 27/5, on the safety ofjournalists, adopted at the twenty-seventh session of the Council, last September. The resolution urges States to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently. Earlier, at the Council's twenty-fourth session, Ireland took the lead in presenting and negotiating resolution 24/21 - along with Chile, Japan, Sierra Leone and Tunisia - entitled "Civil society space: creating and maintaining, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment".”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“Too many Governments continue to use repressive and out-dated laws to target individual journalists and activists. Intimidation and violence, assaults, arbitrary detention and even death are just some of the dangers faced byjournalists. Where that occurs, basic freedoms, such as freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of peaceful assembly, have been violated. We need to take such violations very seriously, as they reflect and frequently foretell greater violations of human rights, ultimately leading, if unchecked, to outbreaks of conflict. All States have a duty to respect, protect and promote human rights. It is crucial that journalists and other media actors, as part of civil society, have the space in which to do their jobs free from violence and intimidation.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“I would like to thank you, Madam President, for organizing today's debate on this important subject. I would also like to thank Deputy Secretary-General Eliasson for his briefing and to record our appreciation to Christophe Deloire and Mariane Pearl, who today have provided important personal insights into this issue. Ireland aligns itself with the statement delivered earlier on behalf of the European Union (EU) and its member States. Journalists are key cogs in the civil society machine, and a free media has been a powerful force for positive change and democratic transformation everywhere. However, at present we are witnessing unprecedented infringements on journalists' freedom to do their jobs. Being a journalist, particularly in conflict situations, has rarely been more dangerous.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“We must not stop until the barriers that exist for women are dismantled, so that they can claim their rights as equal citizens and contribute to peace and security on an equal basis.”
2015-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7428 (2015) · source
“Targeted sanctions are another tool at the disposal ofthe Council, and the Council needs to be more ambitious in their use. Ireland strongly supports the recommendation contained in the Secretary-General's report, as echoed by Ms. Bangura today, to fully integrate the issue of conflict-related sexual violence into the work of the Security Council sanctions Committees, including the Al-Qaida sanctions list, as part of designation criteria. Sexual violence in conflict can no longer be considered collateral damage or something that is "unfortunate". It is the direct result of decisions taken by parties to conflict. The history of denial must end. We must incentivize national leaders to adopt the issue of women and peace and security as their own agenda. We must tackle the root causes of sexual violence.”
2015-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7428 (2015) · source
“We are encouraged by the Havana peace talks on the Colombian situation, where a group of 60 survivors of sexual violence directly addressed the negotiations. As a result, the issue of conflict-related sexual violence has been raised in the negotiations by the stakeholders. The Council has stressed on many occasions the importance of holding perpetrators of conflict-related sexual Violence accountable, not only as an end in itself but to address the culture of impunity which threatens peace and security and post-conflict recovery. We encourage the Council to use all means at its disposal to bring perpetrators into the spotlight, including through referrals to the International Criminal Court and mandating commissions of inquiry, and by explicitly condemning such violations where they occur.”
2015-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7428 (2015) · source
“We need to eliminate legal and other barriers and proactively support the participation of women on an equal footing with men in economic and political decision-making, from the household to the national and international levels, in order to transform the social norms underlying gender inequality. We know that peace agreements are more likely to succeed where civil society is included. And yet, in disregarding the role of women, we manage to omit a large segment of civil society. Women represent only 9 per cent of delegates to peace talks and 2 per cent of mediators, and this is in a context where more than half of peace efforts fail to sustain peace. There must be a better way. Ireland also calls for the inclusion of the issue of conflict-related sexual violence in mediation efforts and in ceasefire and peace agreements.”
2015-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7428 (2015) · source
“The number and roles of those positions must be systematically assessed during the planning and review of each United Nations mission, and the costs should be reflected in the regular budgets of United Nations missions. As Ms. Allamin stressed earlier today, the full and equal participation of women in conflict prevention and peacebuilding is fundamental to any prevention and protection response, including to threats posed by violent extremism. In line with Council resolution 2122 (2013), we must step up efforts to support women's leadership and participation. We must listen to, invest in and build up the capacity of women-led civil-society organizations.”
2015-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7428 (2015) · source
“Today, I would like to focus on just three points: the deployment of women protection advisers, the better participation and empowerment of women in peacebuilding, and greater accountability for sexual Violence in conflict. The Secretary-General's report notes the real difference being made by the deployment of women protection advisers to United Nations missions. They have improved the quality of information and analysis received and have had a catalytic effect on the ground. However, of the 170,000 personnel deployed by the United Nations, just 20 are women protection advisers. Ireland supports the accelerated deployment of such advisers, as well as gender advisers, to facilitate the full implementation of all women, peace and security resolutions.”
2015-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7428 (2015) · source
“The confluence of crises in 2014 wrought by violent extremism has brought home once again how sexual Violence, rape, forced marriage and kidnapping are employed as tactics of terror by radical groups in Iraq, Somalia, Syria and Nigeria in order to dehumanize and repress their victims. Nevertheless, 2014 saw some positive developments that are noteworthy. One highlight was the entry into force in December of the Arms Trade Treaty - the first treaty to recognize the links between the international arms trade and gender-based violence. We look forward to its effective implementation. While the progress made must be commended, we cannot shy away from the reality that 2014 saw a resurgence of sexual violence in conflict. Faced with such horrors, how can we translate the concern voiced around this table into meaningful action on the ground?”
2015-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7428 (2015) · source
“Ireland commends you, Madam President, for your initiative in scheduling today's debate. We thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, whose work we highly appreciate, and Ms. Hamsatu Allamin, speaking on behalf of civil society, for their insightful briefings on this topic. Ireland associates itself with the statement made on behalf of the European Union. The Secretary-General's report (S/2015/203) makes for difficult reading. It details horrible and systematic violations of the rights of women and girls and, to a lesser but discernibly growing extent, boys and men.”
2015-04-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7428 (2015) · source
“We must now act on their message. Ireland is committed to defending the right to freedom of religion or belief and seeks to ensure that focussed attention is given to this issue, including through our current membership of the Human Rights Council. Finally, as we continue work on the post-2015 development agenda, we must recognize the strong linkages between peace, development and respect for human rights. And while we work to counter the current series of attacks and abuses, the longer-term challenge to us all is in giving effect to a development agenda in a manner that systematically tackles the root causes of such attacks.”
2015-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7419 (2015) · source
“The United Nations must utilize all tools at its disposal to protect vulnerable communities and to ensure that those who have the capacity fulfil their obligations. We must also pay special attention to the role of women, not only as victims of extremism but also as agents of transformative change. Just two weeks ago in New York, Ireland partnered with El Karama, a platform of women's organizations from the Middle East and North African region, in highlighting the need to expand the influence of Arab women as leaders. Inspiring women from Syria, Libya and Sudan spoke to rooms filled to capacity and brought a very clear message with them: women must be included at the highest levels, from peace and reconciliation negotiations, to post-conflict decision-making, to representation in the formation of new Constitutions.”
2015-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7419 (2015) · source
“It is essential to preserve communities where they have survived, in many cases since antiquity. It is where they belong and where they have a right to belong. The protection of the fundamental rights of all communities, including the very many Muslims victimized by religious persecution and terrorism across the wider Middle East, is a fundamental duty of all States in the region. As the observer of the European Union said earlier, respect for human rights, promotion of inclusive and democratic societies and support to vibrant civil societies is the only way to guarantee full security and full stability for all people in the region. The international community must also bear its responsibility.”
2015-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7419 (2015) · source
“Recent sectarian atrocities include the despicable murder of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya, the kidnapping of more than 150 Assyrian Christians in eastern Syria, the massacre of Shiite worshippers at mosques in Sana'a, as well as the ongoing abuse of Yazidi women at the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Such acts are entirely abhorrent. Those and other actions jeopardize the survival of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious character of the Middle East and the prospect for inclusive stability in the long-term. The fact that many of the perpetrators of the violence claim to do so in the name of religion only exacerbates the situation. While many countries, especially in the neighbourhood, have provided refuge for individuals and groups, the relocation of entire communities is not the answer.”
2015-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7419 (2015) · source
“However, as we have heard today, attacks on individuals and communities for their religious beliefs or ethnic background have become a tragically regular occurrence. While the phenomenon is seen across the globe, it has taken a particularly virulent and deadly form in a number of countries in the Middle East. The breakdown of established State and community structures and the emergence of radical groups with seemingly unfettered access to arms, have significantly increased the vulnerability of minorities across the region. The Middle East, birthplace of many of the world's most significant religions, remains the homeland of many diverse religious communities. However the descent of Syria, Iraq and Libya into violence and disarray has left numerous religious communities exposed to violence.”
2015-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7419 (2015) · source
“I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for organizing today's debate on this important subject. Ireland aligns itself with the statement delivered earlier on behalf of the European Union and its member States. I would also, at the outset, like to thank the speakers who have provided here first- hand testimony of the persecution they have suffered for their beliefs. Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charles Flanagan, in his address to the General Assembly last September (see A/69/PV.18), condemned all forms of persecution or discrimination based on religion or belief and specifically highlighted the persecution of religious minorities in the Middle East, as well as the rise of anti-Semitic attacks in European countries.”
2015-03-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7419 (2015) · source
“Ireland, as a significant and longstanding contributor to peace keeping missions, looks forward to this year's review of peace operations, led by Jose Ramos-Horta. We equally look forward to the review of the peacebuilding architecture and the global study on the implementation ofresolution 1325 (2000) on women and peace and security. These three reviews reflect the reality that maintaining peace and security is complex and requires longer-term engagement in addition to responding to immediate crises. Placed alongside the agreements being pursued on sustainable development and climate change, we can make 2015 a landmark year in the United Nations, which will enhance the global significance and impact of the Organization and the way in which the goals of the Charter are fulfilled.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“We acknowledge the improvements made in the past year but reiterate that there is much more that can be done if the will is there to do so. Separately, we will participate actively in the intergovernmental negotiations on reform of the composition of the Security Council. Bringing the composition of the Security Council into line with the realities of today's world is long overdue and it is our earnest hope that this work, under Ambassador Rattray's guidance, can be brought to a conclusion this year as the United Nations celebrates its seventieth anniversary. Finally, the United Nations continues to critically reflect on how it can best serve its Members and meet its objectives.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“The principle of dialogue and compromise as the solution to intractable conflicts between peoples is one that guided my Government during the lengthy peace process in Northern Ireland. The Irish Government, working closely with the British Government, endeavoured to keep the focus on the ultimate goal of peace during the many difficulties and setbacks that threatened to derail the entire process. I would hope that others engaged in promoting peace benefit from a similar focus and approach. If the Security Council is to uphold its responsibilities for the maintenance of peace and security, it must be fit for purpose. Along with our colleagues in the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group, with whose statement we align ourselves, Ireland continues to press for a Council that is more open, more transparent and more accountable.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“We stand for a fairer world, a just world, a secure world and a sustainable world. In defending these values, we are, like you, Sir, firmly committed to the multilateral framework and the rule of international law for the conduct of international relations. As such, we are guided by the following principles: dialogue and compromise as the solution to conflicts between peoples; respect for the rule of law and solidarity within the international community when a democratic State is threatened; a strong commitment to peacekeeping while preserving Irish military neutrality; the critical importance of development; and the promotion of human rights, in particular the rights of minorities and of women and girls. The current threats to international peace and security, and those which occupy this Council on a daily basis, are manifold.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“Much of the period was overshadowed by the Cold War and the existential threat of a nuclear conflict, which would have devastated the world and its inhabitants. The imminence of that danger may have receded, but Ireland, along with many fellow Members, continues to work for a world free of nuclear weapons and the dangers they pose, along with other disarmament objectives. The end of the Cold War was not the end of history, as some had foretold. A complex multipolar world has emerged. It is one where even the largest and best-resourced nations struggle to deal with threats from much smaller and dispersed enemies. We recognize that in the 70 years of the United Nations and the 60 years ofour membership, a great deal has changed. However, for Ireland, our values remain unaltered.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“There have been too many conflicts that have claimed the lives of millions of people across the globe, more and more ofthem entirely innocent civilians. Mr. Cai Weiming took the Chair. At the same time, we have witnessed an unprecedented rise in global development. The global population of 2.5 billion of 1945 has today grown to some 7 billion. Global life expectancy has increased dramatically, from an average of 46 years in the post-war period to nearly 70 today. A larger population, married to new technology, scientific development and free trade, has also led to huge economic growth, providing much higher living standards across the globe. Overall, as we reflect on the history of the past 70 years, what other lessons can we draw?”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“I would like to thank you, Sir, for having organized today's debate on this important subject. I would also like to align myself with the statement delivered earlier on behalf of the European Union and its member States. In the concept note for this debate (S/2015/87, annex), it is rightly stated that the United Nations is the result of humankind's long struggle for peace and development. It goes on to restate one of the primary objectives of the United Nations - to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Over the past 70 years, the United Nations has played its role in ensuring the avoidance of another global cataclysm on the scale of the two major wars of the last century. But the past 70 years have not, unfortunately, been marked purely by peace and development.”
2015-02-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7389 (2015) · source
“In that context, I am pleased to record that Ireland is providing funding to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to review command-and-control policy so as to address those and other issues. As a troop-contributing country of long standing, it is an issue that we have a strong interest in. It would be naive to expect that conflict can be eliminated in the short term. It is therefore vital that the Council and the Organization deploy their best efforts to protect civilians, especially women and girls, who play no part in conflict, do not support it and just wish to avoid falling victim to it.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“We agree, for example, with the remarks made to the Council in October (see S/PV.7275) by the Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lieutenant General dos Santos Cruz, who stressed that all components of a mission must be proactive and ready to take action to protect civilians. We must also acknowledge failures to protect civilians, such as those identified in the March 2014 report of the Office of Internal Oversight Services, which cited "a persistent pattern of peacekeeping operations not intervening with force when civilians are under attack" (A/68/787, summary). Some of those failures were due to poor leadership and a lack of accountability, which must be corrected.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Like many other speakers, we also believe that gender advisers should be deployed in all United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions, and we call for the further deployment of United Nations women protection advisers. The protection of civilians affected by conflict should be at the heart of United Nations peace operations. We look forward to the review currently under way, focusing on how the protection of civilians can be made a central part of the mandates of all peace operations and ensuring that those charged with implementing the mandates have the necessary tools and support. For the United Nations to be credible in protecting civilians, troops deploying to difficult theatres to execute challenging mandates must have the ability, means and willingness to perform their task.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Ireland believes that the knowledge, experiences and perspectives of women should be factored into all conflict and post-conflict discussions. We strongly support efforts to increase the numbers of women active in the policymaking, planning and implementation processes related to international peace and security, and notjust in particular conflicts but also in relation to disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control. The United Nations must show leadership here and play a more directive role in order to ensure that women are fairly and fully represented in conflict resolution and related processes.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“We strongly support the thorough and ongoing implementation of the Secretary-General's Rights Up Front initiative. Breaches of human rights should always serve both as a warning sign for potential conflict and an indicator of the need to protect civilian populations. We welcome the increasing integration of human rights components into peace operations, especially as they concern women and girls. However, in many countries and regions, including, for example, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Nigeria, there are gross violations of human rights, and those whose rights are most grievously disregarded are disproportionately female. While of course the primary responsibility lies with the parties to a given conflict, there is, however, a crucial role to be played by the United Nations.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“But sadly, conflicts do occur and civilians do get killed, wounded and displaced. Indeed, in many cases, civilian populations are deliberately targeted. And while the precise data has not been agreed on, there is no doubt that as technology and weaponry have advanced and the pattern of conflict has changed, it is civilians and not combatants who are suffering more and more from conflict. We therefore have to ask ourselves how the United Nations can best act to minimize the impact of conflict on civilians. There are no clear answers, but we believe it is important to look closely at the integration of human-rights priorities into peacekeeping mandates and operations, with a special consideration of the impact on women and girls.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“At the outset, I would like to align my delegation with the statement delivered earlier on behalf of the European Union and its member States. I would also like to thank the external speakers, and in particular Ilwad Elman for her powerful and insightful remarks on the situation faced by women and girls in Somalia. And I thank you, Mr. President, for including the vital voice of civil society in the Council. Early intervention to prevent conflict is of course greatly preferable to dealing with its consequences. In that regard, Ireland warmly welcomed the adoption of resolution 2171 (2014) in August. We continue to work with colleagues in the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group on strengthening the Council's conflict-prevention perspective and encouraging it to take action at an early stage to prevent conflicts occurring.”
2015-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7374 (2015) · source
“Ireland joins many others here today in calling for positive synergies with these initiatives and looks forward to actively contributing to them.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“The Secretary-General's Rights Up Front action plan portrays with great clarity what is at stake in situations of massive violations of human rights. With its key mechanisms of the regional quarterly review and a Senior Action Group now established, we encourage the United Nations system to build on those efforts to ensure swift and timely responses to early-warning signs of conflict. As has already been said many times today, 2015 is a crucial year for the United Nations system. In shaping a more effective and impactful United Nations, we must seize the opportunities presented by the post-2015 development framework, the reviews of United Nations peace operations and peacebuilding architecture, and the high-level review of resolution 1325 (2000).”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“In order to set out a transformative agenda on women, peace and security for the years ahead, we must fully grasp the opportunities that the high-level review and global study of resolution 1325 (2000) present. On Wednesday, Ireland launched its second national action plan on the resolution, aimed at strengthening women's leadership and participation in decision-making in conflict and post-conflict situations and ensuring that a gender perspective is incorporated into all aspects of Ireland's foreign-policy engagement, through a whole-of-Government approach. The third aspect I want to highlight today is the correlation between severe human-rights violations and threats to international peace and security.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“As Ireland's former President Mary Robinson put it, "Women's participation in the prevention and resolution of conflicts is critical to building sustainable peace because no society can develop - economically, politically or socially - when half of its population is marginalized." Women are often powerful and capable actors in their communities, and the knowledge, information and insight provided by women's groups can be valuable in detecting and understanding tensions. We welcome the increasing attention to supporting women's participation and leadership in peace-related, political, development and economic decision-making at the international level, but we must do more to create opportunities, particularly for women and other marginalized groups, at regional, national and local levels.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“The establishment of a new and comprehensive post-2015 development framework is also of vital importance. Including goals and targets on peace in the framework presents an opportunity to enable peaceful and inclusive societies to be built and to address the dynamics of conflict, violence, exclusion and instability. The second aspect I would like to mention is inclusivity, and the critical role that women play in those efforts is another crucial aspect to sustaining peace.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“Ensuring strong institutions requires national ownership, leadership and political will. On the island of Ireland, we have experienced this at first hand. In 1998, a comprehensive political framework for the settlement of the Northern Ireland situation, the so- called Good Friday Agreement, was agreed on in a negotiation process that involved not just the Irish and British Governments but the political representatives of all of Northern Ireland's communities. It was a watershed moment, in that it set out a road map for new political institutions and structures based on an approach of inclusion and trust. The example of South Africa, where the political opening in 1994 created a environment conducive to enabling a new national identity to take shape, is also noteworthy.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“However, the Council does have a clear responsibility to prevent situations from developing into full-blown crises and must do more to enhance its preventive capacities. Let the touch on three key aspects that are central to the theme of today's debate. The first is institution-building. When it comes to ensuring lasting peace, the links between political settlements and the possession of strong and trusted State institutions are well understood. We know that 90 per cent of all civil wars in the past 15 years have occurred in countries that had also experienced a civil war in the previous 30 years. The crises in the Central African Republic and South Sudan are painful reminders of the fragility of peace and the need to promote effective transitions from conflict and fragility to peaceful and resilient States and societies.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“Time and again we see how conflict erupts where people are excluded, marginalized and denied meaningful participation in the political, economic and social life oftheir countries. We need a better approach to counter this. With the adoption in August of resolution 2171 (2014), the Security Council recognized the interconnectedness of the three pillars of the United Nations system and the need to comprehensively address the underlying causes of conflict. Peace and security, development and human rights cannot be siloed in the United Nations system when we know how interdependent they are in reality. In taking this forward, there are of course limitations on the level of engagement that is possible for the Security Council and the degree ofwelcome there would be on the part of Member States.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“With the United Nations and its humanitarian partners responding to four severe, large-scale humanitarian crises in Iraq, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Syria - all of them the result of conflict, and with the highest number of refugees, asylum- seekers and internally displaced persons on the planet since the end of the Second World War - the most charitable verdict is that our collective record in this respect has been mixed. While each of the conflicts has unique features, reflecting the diversity and complexity of each country, there is one common feature. Each has tensions at its core that are the result of sectarian, ethnic, socioeconomic or ideological differences.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“Ireland commends you on your initiative in scheduling this debate, Mr. President, and we welcome the adoption today of presidential statement S/PRST/2015/3. We thank the Secretary- General, Ambassador Patriota of Brazil and Nobel laureate Ms. Leymah Gbowee for their insightful briefings on the topic this morning. Ireland associates itself with the statements made on behalf of the European Union and by the representative of Austria on behalf the Human Security Network. In its Preamble, the Charter of the United Nations defines the purpose of our Organization as saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war.”
2015-01-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7361 (2015) · source
“Ireland, as a long-standing contributor to United Nations peacekeeping and an active contributor to EU-led missions, sees huge value in an ever-closer relationship with the African Union in the areas I have referred to. We support a holistic approach to preventing and resolving conflict that draws on all available tools and processes. We look forward to continuing to work with all partners in that regard.”
2014-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7343 (2014) · source
“Nationally, Ireland makes a significant contribution to the training of African security forces, both through participation in EU training missions in Somalia and Mali and on a bilateral basis. In September, at the peacekeeping summit referred to by the representative of Japan just now, which was co-hosted by Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon and United States Vice-President Biden, we committed to further assisting the development of peacekeeping capacities among our key partner countries in Africa. We look forward to establishing a programme drawing on the expertise of Irish peacekeepers and reflecting United Nations best practices.”
2014-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7343 (2014) · source
“We welcome the cooperation between the AU and the United Nations in Somalia, the joint planning between ECOWAS and the AU on Mali and the successful coordination between the AU and the United Nations on the transfer of authority in the Central African Republic from the African-led International Support Mission in the Central African Republic to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. In addition, we strongly support all efforts to enhance three-way cooperation between the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations. Effective triangular cooperation will be critical to successful peacekeeping operations in the coming years.”
2014-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7343 (2014) · source
“Increasingly, the African Union and regional organizations such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are taking the lead in maintaining peace and security in Africa and in meeting the many security challenges that the continent faces. That is a positive development. The generation of the African Standby Force is another positive development, and we look forward to seeing it fully operational before long. However, work remains to be done. Challenges to be overcome include improving the transition of missions, enhancing the logistical capacity of AU forces, addressing long-standing issues in relation to financing missions and ensuring complementarity and coherence across regional and subregional peace operations. Joint planning of peacekeeping operations also needs to improve.”
2014-12-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7343 (2014) · source