 So good afternoon everybody, my name is Michael Collins and I'm the Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs here in Dublin and On behalf of the IIEA, I'm delighted to welcome you to this to ditch to today's webinar It's great that we're joined by so many for this open and public event And I'd particularly like to warmly welcome those of you who may be joining us for the first time And we're delighted to introduce you in this way to the work of the IIEA On June the 17th Ireland was elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations And will serve on the Council for two years from January 2021 This was a hard fought contest involving three very strong UN members Canada Norway and Ireland With only two seats available someone had to lose out and in the end the seats were won by Ireland and Norway This was undoubtedly an important diplomatic win for Ireland involving a huge campaign over several years By our politicians the president the Taoiseach the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Tornigsta, and of course our diplomatic service The result means that as a member of the Security Council Ireland will be at the top table of global diplomacy contributing to this very special program a forum and to the maintenance of international peace and security Joining us today from New York is Ireland's permanent representative our ambassador To the United Nations who spearheaded our campaign in New York, and we will talk to us about the campaign and what it means for Ireland Georgian Burn-Nason has been Ireland's permanent representative in New York since 2017 Prior to that she served as our ambassador to France from 2014 to 2017 She is a career diplomat who's also served as second secretary general in the Department of the Taoiseach from 2011 to 2014 responsible for European issues among others as we worked our way through the financial crisis at that time Georgian will speak for about 20 to 25 minutes after which we will open in our usual way for questions and answers Please use the Q&A function on your screen And we will get to as many questions as we can in the time available and just to confirm this event is on the record So with that I'm going to pass over to Jurlin and in doing so extending our warmest Congratulations on Ireland's election to the Security Council. So Jurlin the floor platform is yours Many thanks Michael. Good morning. Great to be back with the IAEA friends I'll admit to having spent many happy hours with you in the past during the time you mentioned there Michael when I was in Merrin Street I was a frequent visitor Exciting briefings on European Council's EU IMF bailouts and such But now delighted to be with you again with my fight my sights obviously clearly here in New York and as you said The big development recently our election on the 17th of June as an elected member of the Security Council for two years And that starts in January next year now we came through Michael you said it was a tough competition It was christened here by some commentators as the group of death seen I think in the UN corridors typically as as probably the toughest race in Security Council election terms in modern UN history so our our election on the first round of that Campaign was really seen as a as a major achievement Many of you watching today will know that elections to the Security Council Required that two-thirds two-thirds majority of the members of the UN present and voting on the day elect you so with 192 countries voting on the day. We needed 128 votes no small Bar to be elected to the council most Before the election actually thought that the Western group that we were competing in with Norway and Canada The expectation was that that group would go to several rounds of election and perhaps not elect anyone at all on the first round Notoriously some Security Council elections have slugged it out for in one case 155 rounds back in 1980 and Netherlands and Italy just in 2016 went five rounds So, you know, these things can run in the end We were very lucky at to be elected on the first round with exactly 128 votes Nori was elected along with us in that first round. So to elected big surprise and leaving Canada in third place I'm losing out for a seat and Some argued and say a little word about the campaign first maybe some some felt that on paper probably our two competitors had Fairly strong competitive advantages against us and already clearly and a wealthy country a very generous development program Canada G7 G20 player Prime Minister Trudeau played a very personalized role here in the campaign in New York and Both Norway and Canada are as we know influential NATO members And they both have many more diplomatic missions than we do globally And they certainly had bigger campaign budgets and bigger teams So they're just a few of the comparative advantages. So as I'm asked consistently now since the 17th of June Why did Ireland come through? You know without sounding like Pollyanna and Surprisingly in a cynical time I'm inclined to see the result as a confirmation that actually at the end of the day principles and values Do really matter still Even in this UN where elections and particularly elections to the Security Council are often painted as highly transactional I think that the majority of voters on the day Chose us for a sort of security as it were and authenticity a country that they can actually rely on We always said in the campaign with Ireland what you see is what you get. We don't wax and wane at the UN I think the result is also an indication of the positive perception of Ireland's own role in the world today Happily to see that reinforced again yesterday with Pascal Dunn here's election To the Eurogroup and the decision taken here on the 17th of June by two-thirds of the UN members 128 countries was one of really essentially putting their trust in Ireland to represent them at the Security Council That's not something that countries do likely. It's almost a sacred trust So just a little bit on the nature of the campaign that we ran Which I think is is not unimportant in the way we look to where we are now and where we will go on the Council and if you leave the politics of the of the election aside just briefly and Look at what the UN Charter itself says about electing someone to the Security Council It says that members should be elected and I'm quoting with due regard To the contribution of members to the maintenance of international peace and security now Ireland I would argue would be judged really by any reasonable observer as meeting those criteria If you just look at our peacekeeping our engagement on human rights disarmament Humanitarian action and also our sustainable development actions But there's a step beyond that and the campaign to be elected really requires that you prove your claim And that you demonstrate the case For every vote actually so our mantra here was to never take yes for granted Never take no for an answer Much of the focus till now has been on the campaign that we ran in the last two years The one we famously launched by the East River where we had the t-shirt at the tarnish the Simon Cove me We had Mary Robinson and bono on the stage and launching the campaign In fact, this was a 15-year campaign It was a long campaign many actors building up in a complex enough way I think support over More than a decade We were lucky to have strong political support throughout the campaign on the island With a cross-party support and that was an important issue not something that our two competitors enjoyed at all times And and I just noticed it on past saw as it were that in the background We had the minor matters of Brexit general election a government formation and then COVID to cope with so it wasn't an election without our campaign without its own twists and turns On the way the government made its case through the t-shirt The permanently in motion tarnish that then Simon Cove me ministers of state Caring Cannon Helen Macinty Pat Breen Minister Catherine's opponent was a special Security Council envoy. So we were very well bolstered President Higgins played a pivotal role Including in particular, I would say through his very powerful and persuasive Public engagements in New York and in Dublin as well as direct engagements He took with leaders in Africa in Latin America with the small island developing states I feel that the authenticity of his voice and his message really Registered right across the UN I have to say that Mary Robinson was an extraordinary friend of the campaign She gave not just of her time generously But I would say also of her wisdom really freely Her voice here on multilateralism and its challenges her role as chair of the elders. They're deeply respected And I was always also delighted to work again with uh, amen Gilmore highly regarded internationally and now With several important EU mandates and he was a supporter and a real friend of the campaign And of course, yes publicly famously we had bono and river dance. Thanks to to john and bill wheeling And we also had artists like cullen davidson and brian maguire Poets like dear evan bowland and they played significant parts and for me, they were Important to the campaign in communicating what I think of as the intangible Messages about what we are and what what we are as a people in ireland at that really registered Bono also worked with us on a big policy initiative And we took that earlier in this year on girls and education. We called it the drive five Have to say that bono's reputation as a humanitarian Sometime rock star singer as well, of course Really helped us to project messages. So it was clearly a team ireland effort and that's absolutely true They were the bigger public faces Back home, of course, it was a campaign that touched absolutely everyone in my own department my mother ship the department of foreign affairs I don't think there's a colleague at home or abroad who wasn't It tipped on the shoulder to play a role at one level or another in the campaign We had really a crack security council team in ivy house led by nile burgess brendan rogers frank smith They coordinated our missions right across the network and they also conducted a team of envoys um highly able group of current and former diplomatic colleagues who had Basically responsibilities in regions and countries where we don't have missions on the ground and that was an invaluable support It included many of my illustrious predecessors in this role in new york Richard ryan who last had the privilege to be at the helm when ireland was on the council in 2001 2002 Um, we had david kunyar former secretary general and of course my own immediate predecessor here and friend david donahue of stg fame In new york brine flinn an amazing deputy perm rep and myself led a brilliant team of young diplomats here Who really put their heart and soul into this effort? It was a sort of a once in a lifetime for them Um, I always call it an extreme sport for diplomats a security council campaign So quite literally right around the clock for over two years We engaged with every one of the other emissions 192 missions the ambassadors their teams Their election officers on multiple occasions. We were looking for areas of common interest here opportunities to work together Cosponsoring initiatives supporting their own efforts speaking up on issues that mattered to them not just that mattered to us And frankly we went back again and again to secure each vote and then again and again to retain it I quite literally we left nothing on the field Um, if I come a bit to the substance and to the sort of core values that we built the campaign around We distilled them into three We called them independence Partnership and empathy and I'll say a quick word on each of those because at the end of the day They're not abstract concepts. They were actually core Hearts of the campaign and spoke to the way we we ran our business here for the campaign independence That's really a characteristic that speaks of course to every member of the un But I would say in particular to the hundred states Which are small states called here small states with populations of under 10 million and like ireland every one of those smaller states relies on the multilateral system Not just provide stability, but actually to enable it to engage globally And 80 of those hundred countries were actually born. They were decontrolized as part of the un system So they're deeply anchored and rooted and their trust is very much in the un system We argued all along That the campaign in an increasingly Fragmented and I must say very much a polarized environment In such an environment that ireland would bring a uniquely independent voice to the council A key differentiations often mentioned to me Now post campaign, but it came up during the campaign Was that we're not part of any military alliance And as such to court minister coveney a phrase he often used in the campaign Was that we're beholden to no one The states who are voting in a campaign in an election like the security council are very conscious of the difficult decisions that face the council Issues with a very wide ranging Complexion so whether or how to address climate crisis as a security issue on the council How do you protect civilians in Syria? What will you do in the event of a possible annexation? In the west bank so for issues like that right across the board countries know that they need an independent voice at the table They also knew that ireland had form in respect of independence at the security council If I go back to when noldor led the team here in 1981 82 We faced the falklands malvinas crisis on the security council and we were seen to take an independence stand then In october 2001 when richard ryan was in the seat in the aftermath of september 11 We held the presidency of the security council and we were true to ourselves then too We more recently here last year stood up for Independence in a in a general assembly vote on the tiny chagas islands Where the uk was a key player and ireland supported the tiny island of maritius in an unfinished business on decolonization That was seen. We were supporting an icj judgment. It was seen as an independent stance that we took So on the second element in the campaign we addressed partnership In many ways, this was probably the easiest case to make I think ireland is very much seen here on the ground in the un as an exemplary partner We're recognized we like to say as a bridge builder by nature, but it's actually true in practice And certainly when I arrived here three years ago The extraordinary work done by david donahue and by his excellent new york colleagues like john gilroy here Shepherding the 2030 agenda across the line alongside kenya. That was deeply respected work and seen as constructive goodwill partnership Building on that when I arrived I chaired the commission on the status of women for two years I'll tell you that was the complex politically difficult terrain to negotiate 10 000 delegates annually And we had to work right across constituencies. I'd say actually hemispheres And remarkably we managed to agree conclusions both years and I think that stood us that was sort of a Almost money in the bank as a capable Reliable hand at the tailor and these things matter when people look to you as a likely player on the security council I wanted to draw attention though today to one thing that's quite extraordinary that emerged as a partnership Really out of the campaign. It was sort of an organic Thing that grew from the campaign and that's a partnership that prospered with the small island developing states 38 of them We called them the SIDS for short I think this partnership sort of stands out for me in the campaign as a way of showing exactly how we go about working with others How we invest in relationships How we importantly listen and collaborate with others and then actually deliver I co-chaired with Fiji political negotiations around a critical development framework for the SIDS called the Samoa pathway but we also invested with them working with the Marshall Islands in leading the work on youth and climate mobilization public mobilization at the climate summit last year and then very importantly We actually showed that the commitment to this these SIDS Were a very vulnerable fragile group of countries in the un that it wasn't just a commitment for the election season I think that was a critical factor So over the course of the two years in close collaboration with them We actually worked on this with the SIDS We developed Ireland's first ever five year strategy for a partnership with the small island developing states And this has actually been reflected in the recent program for government It's a it's a partnership with substance and it mattered and I think it illustrated to people What we're like when we set our minds to developing partnership And then the third element I mentioned the third distilled value if you like an empathy That was actually the value we debated most when we were originally sketching out our campaign There was a worry certainly here and I think maybe an ivy house as well that it was a little too vague difficult to communicate And the brilliant john concanon helped us think that through And we decided we'd go ahead with the concept as a core value Because our island at the un really has an empathy for the struggle struggle of others And I think that's an empathy that really isn't shared by many if any developed countries In hindsight, I think it was a very persuasive thought As a small country sitting on the periphery of europe I think we seem to reflect the experience of many Small and some larger countries here at the un We had a bloody hard one fight for independence ourselves Followed by a civil war before we found our foot our foot Footing on the global stage and we like to say that we grew up here at the un in that development We also see then through that un prism that it was the international order That protected us in our early days But also I like to say gave allowed us to give full expression to that hard one sovereignty And that's a struggle that some countries here at the UN are still going through Um, it connected us with many voters I think in the election in a way that norway and candid just would have more difficulty doing because of their national narratives Our own experience on conflict and the peace process that followed through the good friday agreement ending the conflict means that we also understand I think like few others just how difficult Building and then how difficult sustaining peace is and that it's an ongoing process again Something that very much registered empathetically, I think with with our colleagues here So we managed to weave That national experience into what I think was a credible narrative And I think it explains a bit also to people why we tend not to lecture We tend not to point our fingers We're more in the line of encouragement and support And I think most people would accept that empathy pervades much of what we do here at the UN I mean, we we would argue that irish aid And is at the forefront really as the manifestation of that empathy And we've ourselves nationally just recently relatively recently at least come through the trauma of mass migration Something many here are coping with and poverty Our own famine still a living memory and we honor that memory through a development program that really Allows us to deliver for the most vulnerable and for the least developed and that's something that's deeply respected here We we tend to argue that for Ireland that experience has bred a humanity in our approach and it echoed for me certainly in many conversations in the UN I would say though, I think probably the most effective demonstration of our empathy is our peacekeeping record Over 60 years. We have an unrivaled unbroken record of peacekeeping and while to be blunt about it many developed countries talk a lot about peacekeeping Few send their daughters and their sons into the field as Ireland does Measured on a per capita basis We are by far the biggest troop contributor in the western group of countries here And many were frequently astounded when I would say that 13 percent of irish defense forces at any one time Are in the field wearing that blueberry. So UN mandate admissions are critical to what we do So there despite some sort of early misgivings about how we would knit in that empathy factor In the end of the campaign I think colleagues saw it really as something not just that we That we bring to our business in a daily basis, but that we would actually also bring to the security council table So that's sort of a broad brush on what mattered in the in the shaping of the campaign Now of course Now we have what we wished for we have our seat So what awaits us looking ahead now? I'll say a little bit about the council and what I perceive as the sort of the shape of the challenges Um a bit of a cliche frankly, but I'll say it anyway The world has changed the council has changed a lot since we sat there 20 years ago The council itself now has an enormous workload We're dealing with about 30 live ongoing crises that are euphemistically called country Situations, so Syria, Libya, Mali through to peace process in in Colombia ongoing challenges in afghanistan a long list There's also about 20 areas of what they call cross cutting thematic issues that actually feed into Both security and security threats so issues like children and armed conflict terrorism Women peace and security just to name a few of them Naturally given the nature of things There's been a steady increase in just the day-to-day business the council gets on with back 20 years ago The council had about 400 meetings When Richard Ryan was here in the in the chair and that was very busy It was 9 11. It was an edgy time internationally And two years ago that was already at 600 meetings a year. So The numbers are are growing Certainly and in addition to the basic workload of the council And you'd have to recognize that the global context and critically I would underline the dynamic within the council itself And has dramatically changed In the immediate term goes without saying the challenge of responding to covet is right front and center And the consequences for international peace and security of covet Probably we couldn't say we know what they are exactly yet But they'll undoubtedly preoccupy the council for some time to come one way or another Only last week. I'm sorry to say after almost four months The council itself managed to pass a resolution in response to covet Now the fact that I took four months of the council's engagement and they were actually engaging on this for four months The fact that it took so long to agree Um on what's a non-precedented global threat by any reckoning Um really um shows you the scale of the challenge internally in the security council You know, the truth is the that was largely due to the sharp differences between the us and china Um, but it also points to the wider challenging dynamic in the council I think and if I wanted to add a little color to that dynamic for flavor You could just think for example Unfinished business between the uk and russia us opposition to defense of the jcpoa on aran And indian china's recent tensions in the himalayas. We have us russia chinese tensions on syria libya us Positioning on climate and climate security. So the list is long and the tensions are are clear What's also clear is that on a day-to-day basis the complex and protracted crisis on the council agenda Like syria yemen libya the sahel They have become deeply entangled with global geopolitics and in my view that puts millions at risk And brings instability far beyond the regions where the actual crises are happening Now the p5 the permanent members of the security council by definition bear a huge responsibility in that but they're not alone in that It's no secret that the geopolitics behind these crises are being played out in the council at the table Some would say that relations between the us china and russia at the council table are possibly at an all-time low Um, and we will have new dynamics Big powerful countries coming onto the council with ireland countries like india and mexico will also add a new complexity to the dynamic of the council So we're we know that ourselves as we join the council this year or next year That we'll need to steer a very focused and I think a careful course If we are to succeed in making what we want to be a meaningful contribution During but actually in two years is a short time on the security council Now look, we're determined to make our mark. I've always said here that we're not going to go to the council to make up numbers We'll be realistic, but we'll be ambitious as well And we'll go in there looking to solve problems and to try and get things done We we are lucky that we have a principled. We have a consistent and we have an independent foreign policy And we have government that is not afraid to stand up or to speak out And I have to admit of course that the reality is we don't know exactly what the issues are That will face the council between 2021 and 2022 But I'll now just say before concluding a few words on the sort of the basic principles that we'll Sort of bring as our angle of entry into the council. It's very difficult to be too forensic looking this far ahead The first time mentioned is just the simple concept of building peace. I mean that is our basic job on the security council We will now be at the table shaping the mandates for missions where irish peacekeepers are deployed Where we'll be deciding on how modern peacekeeping missions Are shaped and they have to adapt to the changing nature of conflict Each mandate is debated Resolutions agreed. We'll be at the table doing that and we'll also be looking at how countries transition from peacekeeping environments missions on the ground to building more sustainable long-term peace and structures to support them like we've done for example in liberia And I think our membership of the european union will also service as a powerful connector We'll be amplifying political messages and using the considerable european union heft in development In investment to support a sort of collective action and importantly I see that as really valuable in that space They like to call a nexus here between Development and peace building We'll also use our membership of the security council. I hope to really build up our partnership with the african union 60 percent of the work of the security council is focused on the great continent of africa We know from our own experience in ireland that international partnership Alongside locally led solutions offers a sustainable path to peace We support african solutions to african problems But we want also to be a constructive goodwill partner in that and I think we'll be uniquely placed To reinforce the peace building roles and relationship of two big regional actors the african union and the european union They both have capacity and mandates and we'll play our role in there We also will stress that building peace needs to be inclusive It's not actually the preserve of governments or parties to conflict It really has to include civil society. We've always spoken out here for civil society Young people need to be involved women should be at the table from the outset Throughout the peace process. We know from evidence from our own national experience That when women are included in peace process bill and peace building that peace actually lasts longer I like to say more women more peace But it's not a case as for new linear on often says of adding women and stirring We want to see women at decision may at the peace tables in decision making roles not add-ons After the event We also know that building inclusive societies and institutions actually is a bulwark against insecurity And if you look at the population again going to the great continent continent of africa 60 of the african population is under 25 So for us building security on that continent means engaging youth And involving young people in discussions around peace and security We can't exclude them and certainly ireland will include youth in the discussions Second principle that we're bringing with us to the table is really focusing on strengthening prevention So going upstream as it were in in conflict situations Today is shocking 168 million people Need humanitarian assistance. I mean for me that's the You could say the unspeakable side of the the cost of conflict Um, so we're convinced that the security council isn't living up to What it should do in that regard and must do more and we we're determined to try and make a difference in that We want to reinforce the conflict prevention side of the council's work and by that I mean a more proactive prevention conflict prevention activity Um, that may involve horizon scanning early alerts. They're sensitive and difficult issues, but they're probably necessary Mediation we want to see quickly stepping in not spending months and months to find the right name or the right mechanisms We need to get in and get in early enough to make a difference Um, non proliferation and disarmament so well known in irish foreign policy We still believe that nuclear disarmament is an enormous Obligation of the of all members of the council Though not universally shared clearly on the council and we will work to prevent small arms proliferation Which we see for example in the sahel is causing untold conflicts Conflict when it comes to conflict prevention I think we also will have to look more at the drivers of conflict and therefore us There'll be two that we will focus in on food security or food insecurity and climate I mean try a statement to say hunger continues to grow It's often driven by conflict, but in turn it drives conflict itself. It fuels conflict Just facts Two-thirds of the 74 million people in the world who suffer from acute hunger are in 21 countries Which are regarded as conflict Fragile insecure environment So there are clear links between the two On climate change for us the evidence is the evidence is absolutely clear Manmade climate change drives insecurity and instability We've heard this over and over again from small islands From developing countries from countries like Namibia with desertification problems still This is a live issue that needs to come to the council In our view if we don't understand the structural drivers of conflict and security It's very hard for us to address them The last and the third principle that we are building into our approach is ensuring accountability There's no doubt about it that on a daily basis respect for humanitarian law Internationally is being eroded When respect is given we see facts show that lives are saved On the other hand when international humanitarian law is abrogated as ignored lives are shattered And too often we're now seeing indiscriminate attacks on civilians on maternity hospitals on health workers So we see that humanitarian Work as critical we're seeing some humanitarians denied life-saving access themselves Cruel political games and I just be blunt about that are being played not just on the ground But also at the security council table Vital permissions for humanitarian action are being delayed or refused Humanitarian workers are often deliberately targeted kidnapped. We've seen Excuse me murders this This we see as inexcusable And where international human law is humanitarian law is violated We absolutely are convinced that the security council needs to be of clearer voice and to be proactive It can't stand idly by as its members on occasion I'll be blunt I've been almost splitting hairs to protect allies or proxies on the ground So we will speak up and stand up on those issues That will mean focusing on humanitarian and human rights law But it means in real terms it means protecting civilians in conflict ensuring border crossings for humanitarian access fighting against impunity And I can just mention Syria Libya Yemen and you you get the picture in those regards It also means I think importantly for some of you listening this morning That humanitarian aid agencies including the world leading irish organizations who are out there in the field That we will work to ensure that they can continue to provide vital lifesaving support where it's most needed And finally it does mean bringing perpetrators to account We will support the institutions that have the capacity to do that And we're working for example now already on the international impartial and independent mechanism for Syria We'll also of course and many of you will will recognize this We'll be paying very close attention to specific country crisis situations Syria and Yemen get a lot of Focus and we will continue that work But we know that today as we speak the situation in in Libya is highly precarious We're also strongly focused on making progress on the Middle East peace process Minister Simon Coveney has been a leading international voice on this And I would fully expect that to continue and indeed to be reinforced while we're actually on the security council So all of that is a flavor of our day-to-day work Um, we'll also have a couple of big opportunities distinctive moments as it were when we'd be president of the security council Certainly one which will be in september of next year 2021 The second one is a possible probable one at the end of 2022 because the elections for the security council next year Could change that slightly But those special months or month as president of the security council every member gets one one presidency At least um allows a country to shape the agenda to take center stage and to highlight priority areas Truth is of course, we know what happens to best laid plans There will be unexpected crises Uh, there's no knowing but our Falklands malvinas moment will be our september 11 moment The known unknown is probably that we'll have at least one if not more than one to cope with So my fervent wish as I settle back into uh leading the team here in new york Is that I hope we can prove ourselves to be effective and credible influential players We're going to arrive there on the first of january well prepared agile and ready to respond come what may And we don't underestimate the task And and I think it's fair enough to say we don't plan to shy away from it We sought the seat really because we sincerely believe it's a responsibility We should we should shoulder But I'd also say it's an opportunity that we can seize to do the right thing When I think many others are actually challenged in doing that So it's a big daunting job and we're looking forward to working with all of you Not just our mission network, but right across government and with the iraq this civil society academy and Probably all of you who are out there. We'll ask you to keep faith with us as we go Knowing that we're going to use every chance every day to shine a light outward from that great small island You're on that. I miss uh, but I'm very proud to represent so michael slightly longer than your plan Maybe but thanks very much Well, the great virtue of the length of what you said journey in a search of anticipated Most of the questions that are actually in front of me at this stage But we'll we'll get to them as many as we can In the time remaining to us, but maybe just one that just came in a second ago from jillian Ventura and the public affairs consultant and former senator indeed in addition to congratulating you And she wants to know what will success look like for Ireland when we come off the security council Already come to evaluate our role on the security council in early 20 2023 so I suppose but what but what will be success? and I suppose Maybe that and maybe just come to just link that with a question Uh, the corrick murphy former colleague of ours, of course the member of the institute and the chair of our our foreign policy A group he wants to know He suggests that the security council of course hasn't really shone in recent years And is it fundamentally deadlocked obviously? We know recent deadlocks this year in more recent years But is there is is there a serious impossible deadlock there to to to overcome? thank Thanks, michael. Hello to jillian whom I worked with very much in the past including in brussels and dublin Um a good question jillian, of course our legacy and this is something I have to say that we have been thinking about almost during the campaign Not just that we'll wait for the last couple of weeks at the end. I think our successful Legacy or a legacy we'd like to leave is that we've been true to that independent voice that I mentioned In my remarks and that we have kept faith with those who gave us the trust to sit there for them They're the more vulnerable members Who will never sit on the council at the moment? For example the small island developing states the smallest country ever was elected to the security council last year During a tremendous job vincent and the grenadines But they rarely get a moment and they have existential challenges Will those sids come to us at the end of our time and say we stood by them and spoke up for them Why mentioned that our development program very much focused on the least developed and those furthest behind In many cases, they are women and young people and jillian. I know your own attachment to ensuring that youth have a voice and we will I think be measured by the degree to which we're seen Not to be a classical foreign policy machine But an inclusive member state that actually brings the voices of those grassroots people who are involved in building peace locally And I'd also say I'd like to be measured by how we reinforce Ireland's role In two other areas not just our humanitarian human rights, which of course Will remain solid but also on our peacekeeping front that we can bring some of our own experience To the table and maybe improve some of the what are difficult enough challenges Unshaping peacekeeping mandates and the nature of peacekeeping evolving now And and certainly come back to our roots on non proliferation And poor at murphy a great to have a question from you, dear pork one of the the great elders of of the foreign affairs family and Poor and the answer to your question is it fundamentally deadlocked? I'd have to say no Otherwise, I mean the faith and the hope that I would have doing this job would be would be very minimalistic It it's frankly it is quite dysfunctional and challenged right now I mentioned the broader tensions largely between the permanent members But one thing to bear in mind is that there are five permanent members. They are not the security council We've spent 15 years becoming an elected member. There are 10 elected members There have recently been significant evolutions for what they call the e 10 the elected 10 members of the council are playing a much more I would say influential and persuasive in some cases decisive role in in the security council You remember that the security council cannot make any decision take any action without nine votes So in every action Even if the p5 agreed tomorrow on a large agenda without the elected members, they can't act We were seeing this month as a concrete example an issue on climate and security That's very challenged on the security council But the german presidency of the security council has made this a priority And they managed to have 10 members signing up for a discussion They won't get a resolution across the line Why because part of the we would see the dysfunctionality of the council is that one or two members will use a veto Um, but the fact is that the council has ways of doing business and port the last thing I'll say is that Though the big picture tends to be those moments around the horseshoe table with people raising their hands and vote A huge amount of serious work day to day is done on the ground behind the zines You know working on the humanitarian issues I mentioned. So no, it's it's not without hope by any means Um, it does mean it's an ongoing challenge every single day, but that's what we signed up for Thank you, Erlin. Um, just to come to the question of who supported us in the end of the day. Um, uh, of course the secret ballot We we know that but I think I I saw a reference to the tarnished I tarnished us suggesting that we had very strong support from among the arab states But of course about 128 votes say to it. It was noble in our support But there's a question here from from Declan keen of an advisory partner of kpmg Who says the vote from arab member states was excellent And what was behind this was a leadership on status of women palestine or something else Uh, so I suppose again, uh, where did we get our support from and did we get support? From closer at home as we might expect And from within our european union, uh, how strong, you know, not knowing of course, uh, given the nature of the secret ballot, but uh, how strong do you Expect our support was from within the our our nearest and nearest and close to the hand Uh, thanks michael. Well, of course if I could see under that lid as to who voted for us and who didn't Um, I'd be a very happy woman. Uh, but with 128 votes as you point out michael The fact is we had support right across the board in the un You couldn't get 128 to third majority without actually having strong support in every single region And naturally we would expect that we had strong support from our european partners and friends We're part of a western group of whom not all eu members are our members of the western group just a little thing to mention here that 10 of our members are members of the eastern european group So but we had we had strong support there Declan raised the arab group in particular 128 votes there are 22 members of the arab group Um, I think we had strong support very strong support The issue of ireland's role and the very constructive role particularly that minister simon coveney has played recently On trying to advance the peace process in the middle east has really been a very strong aspect of ireland's foreign policy here in 2018 We led here in new york a resolution on the middle east peace process And that had almost universal support in december 2018 in the general assembly So our credentials on the middle east are well known and well respected We're also a country that of course has a representation in israel. We have a partnership with israel We're well able to talk to both arab and israeli friends And we always argue that the two state solution within international agreed parameters Is in the interests of both israel and palestine and indeed of the arab region as a whole You can imagine in the context of this campaign That the prospect of possible annexation in the in the west bank played a large part in people's minds The idea that that would actually be a live issue on the security council table And of course our views on that have been well expressed by the the government by tisha punsch there So you're familiar with that We we michael, you know, I mentioned the small and developing states the african group where I have to say In respect of the enormous work not just that our embassies But we I think we have less than a dozen missions in africa at the moment You know in a in a region that has 54 countries in the un I think the work of our nongovernmental organizations was an enormous I would say bolstering of ireland's reputation over decades on the ground coffe anon Said something that has been repeated back to me so often here and it helped us in the election And that is that our irish nongovernmental actors on the ground They're not there just when the lights are on and the crisis is raging As coffe anon said when you switch off the lights and people leave the irish are still there And I think that helped us hugely in an africa group where I go back to that point about authenticity And surety We're consistent. We don't go when you switch off the the lights and the media bust rolls out of time We're still there Very good. Jordan. Um, just uh, maybe uh, just come back to the european union if I may And a few questions in relation to that including one from our former colleague bobby mcdonough He said during the campaign how important was ireland's membership of the european union And how important would it be as we carry out our our security council mandate? And I suppose apropos which mean the voice that we will be articulated within the european within the council It's ireland, but obviously is ireland Plus the plus the eu or is some sort of hybrid in current circumstances or is it uniquely national? Thanks bobby, uh, which I I can't see you but I can hear that question In in your in your own tone Look, it was a very important aspect of our Campaign, it's a it's a hugely important aspect of who and what we are Um, not just in brosles, but here in the in the um, um, we certainly You know are seeing now a real evolution in terms of the I would say the perception as well as the The presence of the eu on the uh security council This year we have elected members belgium, germany, estonia Along and alongside france. So we have four eu members sitting there right now and interestingly the they had Just for alphabetical reasons the estonians french and the germans followed each other with their presidencies of the of the security council So they were calling this a european spring So people perceive european presence as something not a block vote And I will say during the campaign this came up a little bit Sometimes in a defensive way with us. Will you just be a voice for a european position as opposed to that independent Voice that I mentioned But I've I've already touched on two areas that show that when it matters we stand up Ireland on the middle east for example is the leading and more I would argue more progressive positioning We bring the eu along with us as much as we can there On disarmament nuclear issues clearly not a shared eu position But we're clearly um, you know a fully signed up paid up member of the european union And when it comes to the voice of the union on human rights on international humanitarian law bringing development on the ground The eu is in 140 Of the 193 countries, you know, that's just uncontestable by way of partnership So it's a distinctive voice challenges for the european union now bobby, so I hope that we actually Prove our mettle as a good european And member on the council because in 2022 And we will be home alone with france So we will be the only elected eu member on the council So that's quite a big drop from if you go back even 18 months ago where there were five members And of course the uk in and out of the european union is a factor in counting Who's at the table and i'll just finish off saying On the european union bobby that uh We have adopted and i've had my first my maiden outing here in an eu stakeout after a sensitive debate So ireland stands with the eu member states now as an incoming member of the council Making statements on issues and we did it on the middle east. So it's an important issue Yeah Okay, jordan. I'm just watching the time here. So we're just going to get in a few more questions if we can in the several minutes available to us and So two from a current resident ambassadors here one from mexico and one from cyprus And I just summarized i suppose as uh, particularly mexico is supposed as an incoming Elected member like ourselves is looking forward to working with ireland on the council There are many topics which we can work on together, but I would like to ask the ambassador Could she expand on the work that can be done on issues related to gender perspective To empower women and girls in all aspects of the international peace and security agenda And then a second one and not necessarily related From the ambassador cyprus Could the ambassador in addition to congratulating ireland on the election he said could the ambassador elaborate on ireland's views on the future of peace keeping missions Taking into consideration issues with funding, but also the possible economic consequences of The the covet pandemic and I think there's a question also on how we see c19 crisis interfacing with the aims and principles that you've set out jerlin coming from Michael mccarty from Michael mccarty flin of oxfam ireland So they're kind of in some ways related to from current ambassadors here in the second from permanent from oxfam And then we land appropriately. I think with a question from bill dore Thank you. Thank you very much and to the ambassador of mexico The french of a lovely phrase satombia just as it happens I had lunch with your colleague one ramon here this week in new york both of us looking ahead to What I think will be an excellent partnership between us on the council and indeed we discussed an area that has been growing and our own ambassador Indeed barba joneson in mexico has been working on this. I know Locally as well, which is the whole question of the the gender aspect of building peace and we Run ramon and I the other day were discussing in particular the women peace and security I called these cross cutting themes when I spoke earlier But women peace and security famously a resolution 1325 most translated Most debated ever resolution at the security council sets out Essentially the irrefutable Which is that we absolutely won't be able to build international sustained peace without women's engagement And the role that mexico is now playing in what we're calling generation equality. This is a critical year. It's The 20th anniversary of that resolution It's the 25th anniversary of the beijing conference. It's the 10th anniversary of you and women It's a big year for gender and policy and mexico and ireland plan To work in very close partnership on that. We would love to have I I hope a leading role Together on women peace and security on the council and michael and the ambassador of cyprus I have to say and we have a wonderful former ambassador of cyprus Andres Mavriana serving as my colleague here in new york So your question of course on peacekeeping a really important one and We're very concerned about the financing of peacekeeping Which is an issue that affects all peacekeeping missions And indeed andreas has done extraordinary work here in the last months trying to settle some of those issues Some of which are related to bigger funding of the un debate But also also there is a really unfinished piece of business on the funding of a u African union led and finance peacekeeping operations You know without getting into the the the nitty gritty of this We believe that we should never see spending restrictions as putting a limitation on how we can put In a safe way our peacekeepers on the field. We've had as you know, ambassador A long history and on frisip with you in cyprus. We bring that Absolute concern to the table wherever we put irish peacekeepers out there And I think you mentioned if i'm not wrong covet in in passing There has been an amazing challenge In managing peacekeeping operations through covet which will help shape thinking about future mandates We've been engaged here very much in looking at how you rotate in and out how you protect Not just the peacekeepers, but how they play a role also in protecting the community and you know and in difficult times in ensuring That the that the wider inclusive part of Their role locally at community level is also protected when Social distancing and safety issues are are paramount. I'm sorry. I missed the oxfam question Michael What was the oxfam and again related to covet? How do you see c19 crisis interfacing with the aims and principles you set out? I mean, I suppose the yeah, look, I mean It's it's fundamentally difficult. Uh, you know, it's affected the way we're doing business here But it's also Obviously, I heard amina mohammed the deputy secretary general just last night talk about the extraordinary lengths The un has gone to keep a critical mass of humanitarian actors in place safely Again, a bit the rotating in and out ensuring that people have access to basic PPE so that just the resident representatives in developing countries that are as I said earlier an oxfam knows this more than anyone You know very fragile contexts where health systems are in some cases non-existent So there's a huge job of work and I think we are going to be dealing with this The socioeconomic impacts as well as the health impacts for a long time Okay, Jordan, we're just coming up on two o'clock So we're just going to take the finale of the question if I may Or if we may from no no door who of course former secretary general and former A predecessor of yours and indeed on the council back in the 1980s nearly 1980s So no one's to pass on his congratulations. Obviously as we all do And he wants to know if The practice of prolonged consultations in a small room behind the council chamber still continues And he said in his time a long ago It allowed members of the perm 5 To threaten the veto while avoiding criticism for actually using it in the full council. So that's literally a behind the scenes question No Great to have a question from you a real honor indeed and I have to tell you that No doubt about it your small state at a top table volume is literally my bedside reading I can't tell you how often I've consulted that During the campaign and yes that small room exists You know a tail out of school here I was here as a young diplomat and I used to wait in the outer room So I never actually saw inside that little room until about 12 months ago when I was bringing a minister I think it was Catherine's poem was on a tour of the security council And somebody said would you like to see that small in her room and very frankly? I got a terrible shock because No, as you know all too well and Richard will know it's tiny So you really are it's not like being in a big carpet room in Brussels It's very much nose to nose toe to toe So it's a very intimate setting, but you're right. No, it is still used hugely actually You know that that gathering in public is the tip of the iceberg and the work behind the scenes there In that small room does allow as you say threatening vetoes And you know some banging of drums that then maybe occasionally relieves the pressure I will say just as an aside on that looking at the intimacy of the room It also registered with me something that's fundamental Which is that the personal relationships between the members the permanent representatives of the council matter hugely You know, you're literally looking across the table at these people. So you can't avoid them So one of my my tasks, of course, will be to sit comfortably with all of the the members I don't anticipate a problem and I'll actually have my first experience not in the little room. No, but next week The the Russian Federation annually holds an away day for all members including elected members To have what they call sofa discussions So I'll be embarking on my my mini effort Of that small room. No, I might give you a call or a Richard a call for notes before I go But uh, you're right that room exists and I'm looking forward to it with an element of anticipation Well turning you've been very generous with your with your time indeed and with your just your discourse. It's been a fantastic And tour to force and just presentation Of what what lies ahead and indeed how we've got to the point that we're in at the moment. So again, just Congratulation, we hope we hope you will come back maybe at the halfway stage So that we can do a little progress report, maybe Towards the end of next year But in the meantime, obviously you want to really extend to you are very best We now know I think by 128 countries could not possibly say no I had to say yes The wonder is only 128, but isn't congratulations a huge Responsibility it's a huge honor and and obviously we wish you all the very best as you represent Ireland in those corridors And in those small rooms or in those rooms big and small At the UN over the next The over the next period on the security council. So thank you very much indeed Thank you so much Michael and to all of those who listened gore with me Keep faith with us. I look forward to being at that halfway stage can't imagine what it would be like But you know that we'll do our absolute best to represent you and all those who are generous enough to elect us So look forward to seeing you soon Thank you very much Charlie