Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Certainly, I would agree with you wholeheartedly. However, I am talking about the public perception. People think the Security Council is just a talking shop. I looked at resolutions going before the Security Council between 1946 and 2011. I think those were the dates. There were something like 11 pages of resolutions that had been vetoed by the big five. It makes people wonder what exactly the Security Council does. As Afghanistan fell apart, we made a statement that Ireland stands with the women of Afghanistan. What does that mean? What practical steps have we taken to ensure the women of Afghanistan have been able to access education, for example? I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like for a teenage girl who has had a number of years of education suddenly to be told that she cannot attend education, or for a young woman who was attending university to be told that her education is over and she is not going any further.

We talk about the shift from peacekeeping to peacebuilding. I would love the Minister to tell me precisely what that means. With respect to his forthcoming negotiations for a new resolution with the Security Council, will he publish that resolution before it goes to the Security Council? It is my understanding that the way----