UN General Assembly
2014

It is my great honour to represent Ireland today at the General Assembly. Regrettably, this gathering comes at a dangerous time in global history. Delegates here represent a world facing many challenges, but they are challenges that can be tackled with unity of purpose and surmounted through strong leadership, especially from this Organization, the United Nations. Indeed, the United Nations must be at the vanguard of efforts to eradicate terrorism where it flourishes, to preserve the sovereignty of States where it is threatened and to promote and protect peace and human rights where those essential components of human dignity and human happiness are lacking. In my address this afternoon, I will focus on the conflicts that beset the Middle East and Eastern Europe, and I will do so in a way that reflects the foreign policy tenets of my country: first, dialogue and compromise as the solution to intractable conflicts between peoples; secondly, respect for the rule of law and solidarity within the international community when a democratic State is threatened; thirdly, a strong commitment to peacekeeping while preserving Irish