UN must forge a path to peace in Syria

Tackling the twin challenges of sustainable development and climate change is vital for the UN but its founding principle was peace, the edifice upon which it was built, and it must now step up to the plate and find a way to end the slaughter in Syria, writes Barry Andrews

The next three months will decide whether the UN is capable of discharging its mandate or whether it is unfit for purpose. The UN will be severely tested by sustainable development, Syria and climate change — failure will convince many that the UN is heading the way of the League of Nations.

In New York from today President Higgins will lead a large Irish delegation at the UN General Assembly to approve the Sustainable Development Goals. Every country in the world will commit to a new paradigm designed to promote economic development in a sustainable way.