Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak about the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE. I wish the Tánaiste well in his role as chairman of the OSCE.

It is important that the work of the OSCE is debated in the House as this organisation does not often get the recognition or attention it deserves. I regret to say that prior to my appointment as a member of the Irish delegation to the parliamentary assembly last year, I had not heard of the OSCE. I am sure this is the case for the majority of people. It is important, therefore, that people are made aware of the working of the OSCE, particularly when one considers that Ireland was a founding member in 1973 when the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe was established, later renamed the OSCE.

The OSCE comprises 56 countries from Europe, Central Asia and North America, which shows the strength of the organisation. Ireland's involvement can only be positive for our country. While the OSCE is primarily a security organisation, Ireland's involvement has been beneficial from a number of other perspectives. It provides us with an opportunity to strengthen our relations with our neighbouring countries and to build new relationships with countries with which we have had little or no connection the past.

At a recent conference in Vienna, Deputy Spring and I met with a delegation from Kazakhstan, with whom I discussed the export of Irish beef cattle and breeding stock to Kazakhstan through a new market funded by its Government in an effort to improve and increase its beef herd. It was pleasing to hear how hugely impressed they were by the quality of the breeding heifers imported from Ireland. We are very proud of our Irish agriculture. It is well accepted that agriculture and the agrifood business will play a huge role in our economic recovery. It is important, therefore, that we continue to promote our products abroad at every opportunity. In this regard exchanges at OSCE meetings can be very beneficial and can further cement our relations with parliamentarians in our exporting markets.

It is significant in the context of the upcoming referendum on the European stability treaty that we should be debating the OSCE today. Similar to the EU, the OSCE is an organisation which is based on strength in unity. At a time when Ireland's international reputation is not as strong as it once was, our involvement in multinational organisations is more important than ever. The OSCE deals with a range of security issues, including conflict prevention and resolution, human rights, election monitoring and economic and environmental security.

As I mentioned earlier, the OSCE is not as well known in Ireland as it should be. Fortunately, we have been presented with a tremendous opportunity this year that should help to rectify that situation. For the first time, Ireland holds the chairmanship of the OSCE. This is hugely significant and I have no doubt that the Tánaiste will do an excellent job. During our chairmanship, we will have an opportunity to share our own experiences of conflict resolution in Northern Ireland with other countries. As a Deputy from Cavan-Monaghan on the Border region, I am acutely aware of what has been achieved in the North in terms of peace and reconciliation. I remember horrific local events such as the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, the Enniskillen bombing and, later, the Omagh bombing. It is only when one considers these and other atrocities, which unfortunately became a part of everyday life in Ireland during the Troubles, that one can fully appreciate just how far we have come. I believe that the peace process in Northern Ireland can rightly be held up as a beacon of hope for other countries where long-standing conflicts are taking place. What has been achieved here is proof of what is possible through hard work, commitment and co-operation between different communities.

At the OSCE annual meeting in Belgrade, we attended a meeting to discuss the OSCE gender balance report which relates to women's economic dependence. The report concluded that the OSCE's gender action plan from 2004 had little discernible success in increasing the number of women in top management positions, which, we are all agreed, needs to improve throughout participating OSCE countries. It was interesting to hear that although the number of female professionals in management positions increased from 24% to 30%, the top leadership remains dominated by men. This is significant in the context of the Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 which we have been debating, which aims to increase the participation of women in politics. From our discussions at the parliamentary assembly, it is clear that a lack of women in public life is not a problem unique to Ireland, although some countries have a much higher participation of women than us. Deputy Ann Phelan and I will continue to explore and learn from the experience of other women at OSCE level in order to encourage more women into Irish politics.

My experience of Irish membership of the OSCE has been a positive, informative and worthwhile one.

See this speech in context