Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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466. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his aims and objectives for Ireland’s Presidency of the United Nations Security Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42840/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland holds the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of September 2021. In this role, we are chairing all meetings of the Council and are responsible for managing its agenda. I look forward to bringing Ireland’s values and perspectives to this important task.

The Council Programme of Work for September includes meetings on a range of issues, including Afghanistan, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and the Middle East Peace Process. Developments in Afghanistan continue to be a high priority and I look forward to chairing a Council discussion on the situation on 9 September. We will also continue to closely monitor the situation in Ethiopia and Myanmar.

The Presidency provides an important opportunity to highlight a number of Ireland’s priorities and we will convene three High Level signature meetings during our Presidency.

With over sixty years unbroken service, peacekeeping is a longstanding priority for Ireland. On 8 September, Ireland chaired an Open Debate of the Security Council on peacekeeping operations, with a specific focus on transitions from UN peace missions to a reconfigured UN presence designed to sustain peacebuilding gains. Work is underway on a Resolution on this issue, which we hope will be adopted during our Presidency.

The Taoiseach will chair a High-Level meeting on Climate and Security on 23 September, during the UN General Assembly High Level Week. The meeting will deepen substantive awareness of how climate security risks are relevant to the work of the Security Council, and explore what tangible actions can be taken.

Our third signature event will be a High-Level meeting on 27 September to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The meeting will enable the Council to mark this important multilateral instrument as part of the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation architecture.

Ireland will continue to prioritise the Women, Peace and Security agenda during our Presidency. We are working with Kenya and Mexico, who will hold the Presidency of the Council in October and November respectively, to mainstream the WPS Agenda during this period.

We will also continue our work to protect human rights, uphold International Humanitarian Law, and promote accountability for violations.

It is crucial that the Council hears the voices of those affected by its decisions. We will ensure the participation of civil society speakers in Council meetings during our Presidency, with a particular focus on women peacebuilders.

We will continue to work openly and constructively with all partners, as a solution-oriented member of the Council both during our Presidency and throughout our term on the Council.