Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It has been a while since I have been questioned by the Deputy. Normally, I have been used to looking at him over on the other side on Thursday morning. It is nice to be on the same side for a change.

Ireland will take up its seat on the UN Security Council for the 2021-2022 term on 1 January. We will engage constructively across the Council agenda, which has nearly tripled since Ireland last held a seat 20 years ago. The last time Ireland was on the Security Council, it was dealing with nine files concerning conflicts around the world. Today, it is dealing with 31.

Three principles will underpin our approach, namely building peace, strengthening prevention, and ensuring accountability. The Taoiseach elaborated on these principles in his address to the General Assembly on 26 September. Work is now ongoing to identify specific priorities, taking into consideration where we can have most impact. We will look at how peacekeeping mandates might be improved, as well as how we can strengthen the link between peacekeeping and peacebuilding, while ensuring the involvement of women, young people and civil society.

We will seek to address factors underlying conflict, such as human rights violations and climate change, while strengthening the protection of civilians, including from conflict-related hunger. We will also seek to uphold mechanisms for accountability, supporting the International Criminal Court and ensuring the Security Council can do more in holding states and state actors to account. We will also engage across the range of country specific issues that make up the majority of the Council agenda.

In the period ahead, I will undertake a series of consultations with permanent and elected members of the Council. I will also consult with a range of other states, including those that host UN missions and countries that contribute troops to peacekeeping operations. We are keen to ensure an open dialogue with domestic partners while making use of the extensive expertise available in Irish civil society organisations and academia, including through a stakeholder forum established in partnership with the IIEA, the Institute of International and European Affairs.

See this speech in context