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19 October 2020, New York, USA (Virtual) – The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) New York office launched a series of training on Monday, 19 October catered for the members of the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Ireland. The purpose of the training is to prepare the delegates for the work and the responsibilities of the Security Council. Ireland was elected as a member of the Council in June 2020 by the members of the General Assembly along with India, Norway, Mexico and Kenya. Ireland will serve a two-year term in the Security Council, starting 1 January 2021.

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The comprehensive training aims to prepare delegates from the ministry, embassies around the world, and the capital with necessary knowledge and skills that will prepare them for the work of the United Nations. The Monday training started with a welcome remark from the head of office of UNITAR New York, Mr. Marco Suazo. He expressed his gratitude to the time and dedication of the instructor, Ms. Loraine Sievers, the former Chief of the Security Council Secretariat Branch and the co-author of The Procedure of the UN Security Council, and the delegates from the Ireland Mission. The Deputy Permanent Representative of Ireland, H.E. Mr. Jim Kelly thanked the organizers and the instructor, and encouraged the participants to propose questions and discuss topics that are concerned with their work in the Council.

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Following the opening remarks and introduction, Ms. Sievers started her presentation with meetings in the Security Council. She went in-depth on the differences and the similarities between formal and informal meetings. Afterwards, she moved on to explaining the documents that are pertinent to the Security Council outcomes. The documents that she went over included the Security Council Resolutions, Presidential statements, voting and decisions’ documents. Then she dived into the Peace Operations and the roles of the Security Council in the operations. Her presentation helped delegates understand their positions and their integral roles in securing the success of the peace operation. Lastly, Mr. Sievers explained on some factors that can lead to a successful term on the Security Council. She provided some practical advice and tips on how to make the most of the delegates’ time on the Council, and she opened for questions from the delegates.

The concise yet informative session helped the delegates understand better their involvement with the work of the Security Council. The training will be repeated through the week on Wednesday 21st (both morning and afternoon) and Friday 23rd during the morning adjusting to the different time zones were the members of the ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ireland are based.

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