Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

The recent Amnesty International report on child soldiers has highlighted one of the most disturbing elements of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC. As the report recommends, the new government which will shortly take office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo must prioritise the treatment of children who have been involved in the long-term conflict there.

Under international law, the recruitment and use of children under 15 in a conflict is considered a war crime. The International Criminal Court, which is carrying out an investigation at the request of the DRC Government, should fully investigate any reports of children being recruited and used in conflict. Ireland and its EU partners will also continue to highlight the issue of child soldiers in the DRC in relevant UN fora, including the ongoing General Assembly session.

It is important not to underestimate the scale of the overall challenge which confronts the DRC and its people, now that it is on the verge of securing its first democratically elected government in more than 40 years. Some 3 million people are still displaced in the DRC, while an estimated 1,200 people die daily from preventable conflict-related causes. Basic services are either severely degraded or non-existent — there is only 500 km of paved road in a country the size of western Europe.

If there is to be any chance of confronting the many challenges the country faces, the international community will have to stay actively engaged in the DRC. Ireland and its EU partners are taking the lead in this regard. The EU and its member states have provided the bulk of the financing for the current electoral process which is due to conclude on 29 October. The EU is also actively engaged in supporting vital security sector reform in the DRC and has deployed the EUFOR mission to support the UN peacekeeping mission during the current electoral period.

The international community is also providing substantial support to assist with the demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants in the DRC. This forms part of a wider regional programme, the multi-country demobilisation and reintegration programme, which is led by the World Bank. In response to a request from the World Bank, the Government and Irish Aid has decided that Ireland should provide financial support for this programme, the largest of its kind in the world, which aims at demobilising 350,000 former combatants in seven countries of the Great Lakes region. By providing support for this programme, amounting to €500,000 in 2006, Ireland will be in a better position to join the other donors in urging the new DRC Government to ensure it gives greater priority to the needs of former child soldiers.

See this speech in context