United Nations
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-26
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

We have not joined the Board of Peace and have been clear in our reason for not doing so. We do not believe that any other structure should be mirroring the work of the UN at all. It is doing work with a particular focus on Gaza. That is why it was established. That was the UN resolution for which we and everybody else voted so that a structure would be put in place to support the redevelopment of Gaza and so that we could provide a clear pathway and future with a ceasefire for people on the ground. We support the structure that has emerged from the Board of Peace. What we really need is to ensure that the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian people are included in the work that is progressing. While they are not on the board in the way we want them to be, a number of structures have been put in place to try to ensure that they are consulted and engaged with, and that they are very much a part of any future that is decided. The problem is that it is not happening quickly enough. We have met the chair and those who are leading this. It is not happening quickly enough. As this conflict in the Middle East continues, we need to ensure that a focus is retained. At every opportunity that I have with my colleagues at the Foreign Affairs Council, that the Taoiseach has at the European Council and that my other colleagues have, we are trying to keep that pressure on to ensure that while work is progressing, albeit wholly imperfectly, we do more in terms of aid and access. We will continue to provide that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-26