UN General Assembly
2018

However, reforms at the United Nations must go beyond the managerial and structural level. The United Nations political bodies must also catch up to where the rest of the world is right now. That is particularly the case regarding the Security Council. Ireland is clear on the need to increase the size of the Council. Many areas of the world are either insufficiently represented in the Council or, in some cases, not represented at all. The historically unjust underrepresentation of Africa in particular needs to be addressed so that there can be an equitable African voice in Council decisions affecting their own continent, where much of the United Nations focus will be needed in the decades ahead. We know that. We also want to see the consideration of a designated role for small island developing States. The growing impact of climate change, which many speakers before me have mentioned, on international peace and security concerns adds weight to that call.