UN General Assembly
2013

must be central to any efforts to resolve the crisis and ensure that international law and basic human rights are upheld. And while it has taken much longer than we would all have wished, I welcome the decisive action the Security Council has now taken on Syria. Security Council resolution 2118 (2013) marks a watershed in the international community’s engagement on the crisis. It offers renewed hope and confidence that the United Nations is capable of discharging its responsibilities and meeting the aspirations and expectations of the peoples of the world. The resolution builds on the vital breakthrough achieved by the United States and Russia in agreeing to a framework for the complete elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons. Full compliance by the Syrian regime with its obligations is imperative. Ireland has already pledged €200,000 in funding to support the vital role of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, assisted by the United Nations, in implementing those arrangements. Crucially, the Security Council has called for the early convening of an international conference to