Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are talking about the amount of conflict going on in the world. We have seen what we would call respectable states targeting aid workers. Is any of that going on with any of the aid workers the organisations represented here have? I also seek the witnesses' opinion on another subject. In Ireland we pride ourselves on our neutrality. The African Union and the Arab League were mentioned. Is there more that we could do as a neutral country and non-member of NATO to work towards peace? The witnesses spoke about the vicious circle around poverty. War causes poverty, which causes people to join the army and continue the war. There is a vicious circle around conflict and carbon release from bombs. We see all this. We see how that causes another vicious circle in respect of climate change and so on.

It is hard to keep hope alive sometimes when you are digging down into issues like this. I commend an Teachta Stanton, who has kept the matter of Sudan to the fore in this committee. We can see how the UN has no respect around issues like this. Israel is now intimidating among others, Irish soldiers, who are taking orders from and are there under a United Nations mandate. It feels as though there is a breakdown of international law, order and norms of war. Do the witnesses have anything to say on that?