Ireland, 2005

Sixty years ago, our

predecessors, having adopted the United Nations

Charter, made sure that the United Nations

immediately got down to work. We need to act now

with the same urgency.

In the face of the profound challenges that

confront the world — some of long standing, some

new — our heads of State and Government last week

agreed on a far-reaching agenda for change. Although

the summit did not achieve all that we had hoped for, it

is still a major step forward.

It is now time for follow-up. On Saturday the

Secretary-General proposed an accountability pact. He

undertook to deliver on his obligations but said that

we, the Member States, must deliver on ours. That

requires real political leadership all round. I here

commit Ireland to playing its part.

The United Nations has no Member more loyal

than Ireland. But we realize that the United Nations

needs to change, just as the world around it has

changed. This has to be our focus over the next year.

And what we do affects not just us here in this Hall,

but billions of our fellow human beings.

For the first time in its history, the human race

has the capacity to end extreme poverty. The summit

has endorsed the Millennium Development Goals

(MDGs) as the benchmark of progress towards that

objective. Ireland will play its full part. Last week, my

Prime Minister committed Ireland to reaching the 0.7

target by 2012. By that year we will be spending up to

1.5 billion euros annually. Moreover, our aid will

remain completely untied and directed towards the

very poorest. Africa is, and will continue to be, the

primary focus of Ireland’s aid programme.

Over the past year, we have been tragically

reminded of human vulnerability in the face of natural

disasters. Their causes may be beyond our control, but

how we react is in our own hands. Ireland will place an

even stronger emphasis on emergency and

humanitarian relief. In particular, we are urgently

examining how we ourselves can improve our own

capacity to deliver effective civilian protection in such

cases.

Conflict resolution is a vital part of the United Nations

mission. It is not enough to end war. We must win the

peace. Without coherent peacebuilding strategies,

vulnerable countries may not escape the cycle of

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violence. From the start, my country has been a leading

proponent of the Peacebuilding Commission. Now that

it has been agreed, let us work hard to get it up and

running by the beginning of 2006.

At the summit, there was agreement on the vital

principle that the international community should take

action to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic

cleansing and crimes against humanity when the

responsible Governments fail to do so. I hope and pray

that such eventualities will never again come to pass.

But if they do, we must act in a way which honours

that solemn commitment. We have failed grievously in

the past and must never do so again.

The summit has committed us to strengthening

the United Nations human rights machinery. I strongly

welcome the decision to double the budget of the

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

And the decision to establish a Human Rights Council

was very positive. Now the General Assembly must

move swiftly to flesh out the modalities and the

structure. It must be composed and operate in a way

which avoids the failings of the past. But the best

features of the Commission on Human Rights, such as

its engagement with civil society, must be retained.

Ireland particularly values the work of human rights

defenders in calling Governments to account, and that

must continue.

Once more, we meet in the shadow of terrorism.

So many recent and terrible acts remind us that no

country is immune, as Ireland knows from its own long

and bitter experiences. We should agree on the

comprehensive convention on combating terrorism

without delay during this session of the General

Assembly. And all existing specific conventions must

be fully implemented, and practical cooperation made

more effective.

The threat of terrorism requires a robust security

response. But that response must be intelligent,

calibrated and proportionate. It must respect human

rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. And

although no cause can ever justify terrorism, the

political and social conditions within which it breeds

must also be addressed.

We cannot ignore the threat posed to our security

by weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear

weapons. Ireland was deeply disappointed at the failure

of the recent Review Conference of the Parties to the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

(NPT). We were equally disappointed at the inability of

the summit to make any progress on that absolutely

vital issue. But we cannot afford to give up hope. The

logic in favour of the twin and mutually reinforcing

goals of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation

remains compelling.

I welcome what appear to be positive

developments with regard to the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea and salute the leadership of its

neighbours and the United States in the negotiating

process.

Under the NPT, countries have every right to

choose the option of civilian nuclear power. But it is

essential that they do so in full accordance with the

NPT and under the supervision of the International

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). International

confidence in their exclusively peaceful intent is also

vital and, where damaged, must be rebuilt in a clear

and fully verifiable way. With our other European

Union partners, Ireland fully supports the efforts of the

European Union three to achieve that outcome with

regard to Iran.

We must continue to reform the structures of the

United Nations. The need to align the Security Council

with today’s realities is widely acknowledged. This

remains an important piece of unfinished business. We

must fulfil our commitment to revitalize the Assembly.

And we need to take a serious look at how the

Economic and Social Council can better fulfil its role.

The Secretary-General has made clear his

commitment to delivering on management reform

within the Organization, as was requested by the

summit. Very substantial progress on this question

must be made during the present session.

I would now like to touch on a number of issues

of specific concern to Ireland.

In relation to the Middle East and Iraq, the

achievement of a lasting peace in the Middle East is of

great importance to the entire world. Here, too,

political will is the crucial ingredient. The initial

difficult phase of Israel’s disengagement from

settlements in Gaza has taken place peacefully. The

courage and the commitment of Prime Minister Sharon

and his Government have been commendable. Much,

however, remains to be done.

I welcome the determination of President Abbas

and his colleagues to take full advantage of the

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opportunity presented by the withdrawal. They must,

with our help, maintain their efforts to ensure peace,

security and the rule of law. And disengagement will

truly be a success only if Gaza becomes economically

viable, with free trade and free movement. This is

clearly in Israel’s interests, as well as in those of the

Palestinians.

Disengagement is an important advance. It cannot

be the end, but rather a step towards the full

implementation of the Quartet’s road map. With the

support and the assistance of the international

community, both sides must press forward and renew

momentum towards a permanent peace. It is also vital

that, in particular in relation to the West Bank — as my

delegation has spelled out in detail on many

occasions — Israel desist completely from further steps

which could jeopardize the viability of a two-State

solution.

With respect to Iraq, the people of Iraq face

appalling challenges from terrorism. Despite that, they

have courageously taken steps towards the restoration

of full democracy and the control of their own destiny.

The final decision on the adoption of the draft

constitution now rests with the people themselves in

next month’s referendum. The international community

must do whatever it can to ensure that the vote takes

place in a democratic and peaceful way. We have seen

elsewhere that, no matter how difficult and imperfect

progress may be, with political will and the support of

the international community, it is possible to move

forward, away from conflict.

The elections yesterday in Afghanistan are a

further welcome milestone in its transition.

I also commend the excellent progress made in

Aceh. I am proud that Irish soldiers are among those

taking part in the monitoring mission run by the

European Union and the Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Sadly, in Burma-Myanmar, human rights and

democracy continue to be denied. That is most acutely

symbolized by the continued detention of the heroic

Aung San Suu Kyi. The cumulative length of her

detention now approaches ten years. Her ordeal is not

forgotten by the people of Ireland. I urge ASEAN, in

particular, to demonstrate effective regional leadership

and to heighten pressure on the regime to release her

and move along the path of reform.

As I said earlier, Ireland is particularly committed

to Africa. We contribute substantially to development

and conflict resolution, and we will continue to

increase that contribution. But external help can do

only so much. In the resolution of various political

crises affecting the continent, the key requirement is,

again, political leadership and vision.

We welcome the recent signing of the

Comprehensive Peace Agreement in the Sudan, which

must now be fully implemented. I am encouraged that,

despite the tragic and untimely death of Vice-President

Garang, both sides have reaffirmed their commitment

to the Agreement.

However, the situation in Darfur continues to be

deeply worrying. My Government fully supports the

African Union’s mission to improve security there. We

look forward to early progress in the International

Criminal Court investigation into human rights

violations. The Government of the Sudan and the

parties in Darfur must renew their efforts to conclude a

comprehensive peace agreement by December, and the

international community must continue to support

efforts led by the United Nations to provide

humanitarian assistance.

I welcome recent progress in the Great Lakes

region, in particular in Burundi, where the elected

representatives have shown generosity of spirit and

courage. I look forward to parallel progress in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ireland will

contribute to support for the electoral process there.

But I am seriously concerned at the situation in

Zimbabwe. The downward spiral, which, above all,

hurts the ordinary people of that nation, must be

reversed. The Zimbabwean Government should start by

accepting the recommendations of the Secretary

General’s Special Envoy.

Turning to a topic closer to home, in the Northern

Ireland peace process it is also time for renewed

leadership. There is a real prospect of the full

implementation of the Good Friday Agreement —

which was put together in 1998 and voted by the

people of Ireland — and the sustained operation of its

institutions. The British and Irish Governments are

partners in that endeavour, and we look for others to

join us in delivering their promises.

The Irish Republican Army took a major and

courageous step forward in July. We now expect early

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movement to deliver fully, in a verified and convincing

way, on its commitment to decommissioning. There is

no room for fudge and, equally, no room for any

continuation of paramilitarism or criminality. Sinn Fein

should also show leadership in moving to support the

Police Service of Northern Ireland and to take their

place in the governance of policing. The Police Service

is showing professionalism, courage and even-

handedness. The completion of the policing project

would represent a profound move towards peace and

political stability, and I call upon Sinn Fein, in

particular, to take the hard decisions needed.

Equally, leadership is needed from within the

Unionist community. When the IRA’s commitments are

fully delivered and verified, then the way will be clear

for renewed political discussions by all parties on the

reactivation of the Northern Ireland institutions. The

Unionist parties say they are prepared to share power,

when it is clear that the threat of violence has been

removed once and for all. It should soon be time for

them to demonstrate that good faith.

I also look to the Unionist community to show

determination in condemning and doing all it can to

discourage the continuation of the appalling

lawlessness, which has in recent times so badly

affected both loyalist communities and their vulnerable

nationalist neighbours. The need for political

leadership is so urgent precisely because the prospect

of decisive progress is so real and so alluring.

Following the summit, we have a collective

responsibility to grasp the opportunity to reinvigorate

the United Nations. If we fail, our peoples today and in

the future will not judge us kindly.

Ireland gives its full backing to the Secretary-

General’s proposals for change. I personally was

honoured to act as one of his envoys, because, like

him, we recognized that the United Nations was at a

fork in the road. At the summit, we chose to start down

the right track, but there is a long way to travel. I

pledge again that over the year ahead Ireland will

remain at the forefront of the drive for reform and

renewal.