At a United Nations gathering on Monday, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin stood alongside actress Meryl Streep and additional delegates to discuss the situation of women in Afghanistan. This event was jointly arranged by the United Nations Permanent Missions of Ireland, Switzerland, Indonesia, and Qatar, aiming to explore strategies for integrating women into Afghanistan’s future.
During this conference, a brief documentary was displayed, introduced by Meryl Streep, depicting the involvement of four Afghan women leaders in the 2020 Doha peace talks, before the Taliban seized power. Following this, the Taliban disallowed any form of female participation in Afghanistan’s political scene. In response, Ireland, along with several other countries, sternly condemned this continued gender-based exclusion during a meeting in Qatar in July, held between United Nations and Taliban representatives.
Currently situated in New York for the United Nation’s high-level week, Micheál Martin joins global leaders in discussing policy and international affairs matters. Ireland’s Minister for Environment Eamon Ryan, Taoiseach Simon Harris, and President Michael D. Higgins are also present for this occasion.
Upcoming this Tuesday, Simon Harris is set to have a one-on-one conversation with Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas. This marks their first meeting subsequent to Ireland’s acknowledgment of the state of Palestine in May this year, amidst an enduring humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ongoing hostilities in the West Bank.
In anticipation of this dialogue, Simon Harris outlined, “By recognising the State of Palestine, Ireland aimed to nurture hopes of a two-state solution with Palestine and Israel coexisting peacefully. I intend to discuss with President Abbas ways in which we can aid him and the Palestinian Authority in actualising this aspiration, understanding the significance of a nation asserting itself globally.”
Furthermore, post the formal inauguration of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Harris is scheduled to engage in bilateral discussions with Jordan’s King Abdullah and the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
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