Let me begin by warmly
congratulating President Joseph Deiss on his election
and extending the best wishes of the Irish Government
for a successful term in office.
We gather this year against a backdrop of grave
challenges confronting the global community.
Foremost among them is the continuing crisis of global
hunger and poverty. We recognize the obligation upon
us to fulfil the commitments made to the world’s most
vulnerable people when the Assembly adopted the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000. Our
Governments have to contend with the most severe
global recession in many decades, but we must limit
the impact of the crisis on those in greatest need. We
must also maintain our commitment to halving the
proportion of people living in extreme poverty and
hunger by 2015.
Firmer action is also called for in responding to
the threat posed by climate change. If the global
community fails to act now on that issue, we will face
a steadily escalating threat to our planet and to human
survival. In recent months, we have also seen the
devastating consequences that natural catastrophes,
such as those that have afflicted Pakistan and Haiti, can
unleash on vulnerable populations.
As with so many of the challenges and threats to
our common security, it is to this great Organization
that we instinctively turn in searching for effective
collective responses. The universality of its
membership gives the United Nations a unique
legitimacy and authority. It brings the nations of the
world together under a common roof. It provides an
invaluable framework for common reflection and
decision-making. With the necessary political will, the
Member States can use the authority and reach of the
United Nations to fashion a more peaceful, equitable
and secure world.
One area requiring our close attention is reform
of the United Nations itself. To improve the
effectiveness of the Organization, we need to ensure
that its structures are fit for their purpose and adjusted
to twenty-first-century realities. Ireland has actively
championed the reform agenda at the United Nations in
recent years, and we will continue to do so.
In that regard, I warmly welcome the
establishment of UN Women. Ireland is committed to
supporting that important new body within the United
Nations system, as it promotes greater gender equality
and works to enhance the rights and well-being of
women worldwide. Also, the benefits to be had from
the “delivering as one” programme — greater coherence
in United Nations development activities and improved
delivery of services at the country level — are clear and
tangible. The valuable work done in those areas
demonstrates that reform can be achieved when it is
clearly shown to be in our collective interest.
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We need to do more, however. There is a pressing
need for a Security Council that is more properly
reflective of twenty-first-century realities and that can
function better and with increased transparency. The
constructive deliberations on that issue within the
informal plenary of the General Assembly should be
intensified, with a view to identifying whether there is
a model for reform that can command broad consensus.
The system for apportioning the expenses of the
Organization should better reflect the principle of
capacity to pay. Ireland and its European Union
partners have highlighted that issue in recent years, and
we will continue to follow it closely. I look forward to
positive results from the review of the existing scale
methodology that the General Assembly has been
mandated to carry out.
Perhaps the greatest challenge we face as a global
community is to take effective action to eliminate
poverty and hunger. We set ourselves clear targets in
adopting the Millennium Development Goals 10 years
ago. Here in New York we have reviewed progress
over the past week. We have welcomed the remarkable
progress that has been generated through our collective
action in areas such as education, child health and the
treatment of HIV and AIDS. But the reality remains
that the actual numbers of people living in poverty and
hunger in our world continue to increase.
In recent times, economic crisis and uncertainty
have devastated the lives of communities already
facing extreme poverty at the same time that they
impose pressure on development budgets worldwide. It
is therefore imperative that developed and developing
countries, in partnership, now examine rigorously
which actions have worked in the fight to end poverty
and which can be pursued more effectively. We also
need to focus more clearly on key sectors.
Since the publication of our Hunger Task Force
report two years ago, Ireland has been arguing that a
more concerted, comprehensive approach is required to
end the continuing crisis of world hunger. The number
of chronically hungry people has risen to almost one
billion. One in four children in the developing world is
undernourished. Failure to address that crisis is
undermining progress across the full range of
development goals. And yet the means are available, at
an affordable cost, to end that scandal. We need to
mobilize the political will to do so.
Last week, with the United States Secretary of
State, I hosted a meeting of international leaders to
build a partnership focusing on nutrition in the first one
thousand days of life, from pregnancy to two years of
age. We recognized and will give our full support to
the Scaling Up Nutrition Initiative of the Secretary
General. Our determination to maintain international
attention to that issue is driven by the conviction that it
is possible in the five years remaining to deliver
measurable progress on our commitment to halve the
proportion of people suffering from extreme poverty
and hunger by 2015.
One of the core tasks of this Organization is to
contribute to the maintenance of international peace
and security. War and conflict are not merely
profoundly destabilizing for the regions in which they
occur; they also threaten the collective security of
mankind. Mobilizing effective international responses
to armed conflict, as and when it occurs, and providing
peacekeeping and peacebuilding support in that context
are high on the United Nations agenda. In that vitally
important area, the United Nations record of
accomplishment speaks for itself, as explicitly
acknowledged through the awarding of the Nobel
Peace Prize in 2001.
There is one conflict that, more than most,
requires the sustained engagement of the international
community at the present time. The direct talks under
way between Israeli and Palestinian leaders present a
historic opportunity to make progress towards a just
and lasting peace in the Middle East. I have no doubt
that progress towards a comprehensive settlement
based on the two-State solution would contribute more
to improving global security than any other single
peacebuilding effort.
I want to salute the leadership and commitment
demonstrated by President Obama, Secretary of State
Clinton and Special Envoy Mitchell in persuading
Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resume direct
negotiations. While there have been many critical
junctures in the Middle East peace process in the past,
there can be no doubting the significance of the
initiative which is under way at present. It represents
what is possibly the final opportunity to achieve a just
settlement based on two States living side by side in
peace and security.
President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu
are also to be commended for their personal
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commitment to this process. I encourage both sides to
stay the course and not to be deterred by those who
seek to derail the process. In particular, I urge all
parties to refrain from any actions which could
endanger the negotiation process. It is vital that every
effort be made to keep the process intact. Our own
experience in the Northern Ireland peace process has
shown that political progress can only be achieved
through dialogue. Maximum restraint for the duration
of these talks, which are intended to be — and should
be — completed in 12 months, would be a small price
for lasting peace. In this regard, I echo the statement
made earlier today by the High Representative of the
European Union (EU), Catherine Ashton, regretting the
Israeli decision not to extend the moratorium on
settlements. There could be no greater single
confidence-building measure and practical
demonstration of commitment to peace than a decision
to desist from all settlement construction in the West
Bank and East Jerusalem.
We must not forget Gaza at this critical time. I
witnessed for myself the appalling humanitarian plight
of the people of Gaza when I visited the region last
February. Eighty per cent of them live below the
poverty line. The deprivation and hardship that they are
suffering because of the blockade are painfully
obvious. Yet the people of Gaza show a remarkable
dignity and resilience in the face of living conditions
which are quite simply unacceptable.
I welcome the steps taken so far to improve the
delivery of humanitarian and consumer goods to Gaza.
However, the reality remains that much more needs to
be done in terms of rebuilding Gaza and allowing
normal commercial activity to resume. In particular,
exports must be allowed to resume from Gaza; the vital
work of recovery and reconstruction, which has been
effectively on hold for almost two years, must be
facilitated; and key infrastructural projects identified
by the United Nations must be allowed to proceed.
I would also urge greater support for the
invaluable work performed by the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the
Near East (UNRWA), and its brave and dedicated staff,
on behalf of the Palestinian people. I and others who
have visited Gaza in recent months, such as Secretary-
General Ban and European Union High Representative
Ashton, can testify to the importance of what UNRWA
is doing to support the welfare of Gaza’s inhabitants
and to provide them with some basis for confidence in
a better future.
The lack of progress in resolving the differences
between the international community and Iran over that
country’s nuclear programme is a source of great
concern. I urge the Iranian authorities to engage
constructively on this issue and to comply with the
clear requirements set out in numerous Security
Council and International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) resolutions, most recently in Security Council
resolution 1929 (2010). There is a sincere wish on the
part of all of us to negotiate seriously and
constructively with Iran on these and other important
international issues. I look forward to such a dialogue
resuming in the near future.
Any discussion with Iran would also need to
include the human rights situation there, about which
there continue to be the gravest concerns. Iran must do
considerably more than it has done up to now to
respect and fulfil the international obligations it has
undertaken in the field of human rights. Recent cases
of human rights abuses are profoundly disturbing, and
Iran must be held fully accountable for them.
The global security which we all wish to achieve
depends crucially on the eradication of the means of
conflict. Efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament and to
prevent the further proliferation of nuclear weapons
have been key objectives for the United Nations since
its inception. They have also been a major foreign
policy priority for successive Irish Governments.
Ireland was the first country to sign and ratify the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The
successful outcome to last May’s NPT Review
Conference has reinvigorated the Treaty and is an
important milestone on the road towards the eventual
elimination of all nuclear weapons. A key priority for
Ireland is implementation of the action plan on nuclear
disarmament agreed there.
I am pleased that Ireland made an important
contribution at the Review Conference. In particular,
we were able to facilitate progress in relation to
implementation of the 1995 resolution on a zone free
of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. I
hope that the strong spirit of compromise evident at the
Review Conference will be maintained and built upon
in the preparations for the 2012 conference on the
Middle East resolution.
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Ireland is also satisfied with the progress made
over the past couple of years on the issue of cluster
munitions. The Convention on Cluster Munitions,
which was negotiated in Dublin in May 2008, has
entered into force as of 1 August this year. This
landmark development brings closer the prospect of the
elimination of all cluster munitions and of the
unacceptable harm to civilians they cause. We must
now move ahead with implementation of the
Convention and promotion of the widest possible
adherence to its provisions.
Ireland is actively supporting preparations for the
first meeting of States Parties of the Convention in
Vientiane in November. We will continue to show
leadership on this issue and to do all we can to ensure
the worldwide elimination of these atrocious weapons.
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the
first deployment of Irish troops under the United
Nations flag. In 1960, just five years after we joined
this Organization, Ireland decided to participate in a
peacekeeping mission to what was then the newly
independent Congo. This began a long and
distinguished tradition of service in United Nations
peacekeeping operations in a wide variety of conflict
situations around the globe. We will continue to
contribute personnel to such missions and to play our
part in the maintenance of international peace and
security. I welcome the constructive discussions which
have taken place within the Special Committee on
Peacekeeping Operations on ways of improving the
future conduct and management of United Nations
peacekeeping missions, following on from Secretary-
General Ban’s recent paper on the New Horizon
Initiative.
This year, Ireland was honoured when our
Permanent Representative, Ambassador Anne
Anderson, took on the role of co-facilitator, along with
South African and Mexican colleagues, of a major
review of the United Nations peacebuilding
architecture. We were very pleased to be able to make
our contribution to this important and wide-ranging
reflection on the work of the Peacebuilding
Commission, five years after its establishment. The
three co-facilitators have submitted a report which
aims to revitalize the Commission and give it renewed
focus and impact. I look forward to positive
consideration by Member States of this report and the
recommendations it makes.
Ireland has also been active in relation to another
set of issues which have a significant bearing on
conflict resolution and peacebuilding. This year marks
the tenth anniversary of the adoption of Security
Council resolution 1325 (2000), which, for the first
time, explicitly acknowledged the key role of women
in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. We have been
working hard to raise international awareness of this
resolution and to encourage greater implementation of
its provisions by Member States.
As part of our focus on resolution 1325 (2000),
we have been pleased to work with Liberia and Timor-
Leste in conducting important lessons-learned
exercises. A report will be presented to the Secretary-
General shortly on the key findings made in this
process. We are also working to finalize our national
action plan on women, peace and security in the very
near future.
Ireland strongly supports the vital role played by
the United Nations in upholding and defending human
rights around the world. Next year’s review of the
Human Rights Council provides an opportunity to
assess the Council’s performance to date and to
consider how it might be improved and strengthened.
As a candidate for election in 2012, we look forward to
making our own contribution to the work of enhancing
the Council’s performance.
Ireland is also deeply supportive of the work of
the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the
International Tribunals in promoting justice and
combating impunity. I welcome the successful outcome
to the recent Kampala Review Conference of the Rome
Statute of the International Criminal Court, including
in relation to defining the crime of aggression, and I
urge the fullest cooperation on the part of all Member
States with both the ICC and the International
Tribunals.
The appalling human tragedy of Darfur continues
to challenge the international community. I applaud the
courageous efforts of the United Nations personnel and
all of the others on the ground in Darfur who are
working to provide vital humanitarian services.
We hope that all sides in Sudan will continue to
engage in the fullest cooperation in support of the
United Nations/African Union mediation efforts in
Darfur and also in the preparations for the historic
referendum in southern Sudan early next year. Full
implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace
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Agreement still remains fundamental to securing peace
and stability in Sudan as a whole and in the region.
The continuing unjust detention of Aung San Suu
Kyi in Burma epitomizes the fate of prisoners of
conscience everywhere who seek to uphold the values
of democracy and free speech. I call for her immediate
and unconditional release. I also call for the release of
all other political prisoners in Burma and for the
launching of a genuine, inclusive national dialogue.
And I very much endorse Secretary-General Ban’s call
on Burma’s leaders to create the conditions in which
free and fair elections can take place.
In a world where we continue to face enormous
peacebuilding challenges, the Northern Ireland peace
process is an example of what can be achieved with
patience, imagination and strong international support.
This year saw a hugely significant step forward in
Northern Ireland with the devolution of policing and
justice powers to a locally elected Minister accountable
to the Northern Ireland Assembly. That is a major step
towards fulfilling the vision of the Good Friday
Agreement, which was signed 12 years ago.
That Agreement provides a genuine possibility
for political inclusion for all who reject violence. It is
the framework within which the Irish Government,
working in partnership and full cooperation with the
British Government and the Northern Ireland
Executive, is helping to build economic prosperity,
assist communities to move beyond conflict and sow
the seeds for a shared future for all.
The European Union and its 27 member States
are firmly committed to effective multilateralism with
a strong United Nations at its core. We look forward to
further consultations with the Member States of this
Organization on proposed changes to the status of the
European Union in the General Assembly. These
modest adjustments will help the Union to make a
more effective contribution to the work of the
Assembly and of the United Nations. A European
Union speaking with a clear and coherent voice on the
great global challenges that this Organization must
address will, I believe, strengthen the impact and
effectiveness of the United Nations as a whole. That is
something to which Ireland and its EU partners attach
the utmost importance.
We live in times of profound and unsettling
change and daunting global challenges. As we struggle
to deal with these challenges and to chart ways forward
in an insecure world, the United Nations is an
increasingly valuable resource. It remains the
international organization with the greatest potential
for international consensus-building and for the
framing of collective strategies and solutions. At its
heart are the fundamental principles embodied in the
United Nations Charter, principles which have
underpinned the conduct of international relations over
the past 65 years and whose strength and validity is
more apparent today than ever before.
Ireland is steadfastly committed to this
Organization and the principles and values on which it
rests. I very much welcome the General Assembly
President’s emphasis on the need for a strong, inclusive
and open United Nations, and we look forward to
taking part in the consultations which he has indicated
he will be convening. We look to the United Nations as
the indispensable forum for developing effective
multilateralism and for leading international
endeavours towards the creation of a more peaceful,
prosperous and secure world.