Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Other missions in which Defence Forces personnel were deployed in 2016 were the EU led mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, EUFOR, with seven personnel; the NATO-led international peace and security presence in Kosovo, KFOR, with 12 personnel; and the resolute support mission, RSM, in Afghanistan with seven personnel. Ireland withdrew from RSM in Afghanistan in March 2016. In addition, during 2016, a small number of Defence Forces officers continued to serve with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, MINURSO, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire. I recently had the privilege of visiting Irish personnel based in the Middle East. The main purpose of my visit was to meet with members of the Permanent Defence Force, PDF, serving with UNTSO, UNIFIL and UNDOF and to attend as part of the events in the region as part of Ireland's overall economic, political and security engagement in the region. Such visits are a valuable opportunity to be briefed on the situation and the challenges facing the respective mission areas.

I also had the opportunity, as part of the events, to meet with members of An Garda Síochána serving with the UN mission in Cyprus. I was delighted and honoured to have the opportunity to spend some time with Irish personnel serving overseas, both from the Defence Forces and the Garda, and to express my thanks, that of the Government and the people of Ireland for the important role they are currently undertaking in UN peacekeeping operations. In all my interactions with mission leaders and political leaders in the host countries, what was clearly evident was the respect and high regard they held for the professionalism displayed by our Irish peacekeepers. Participation in peace support operations comes at a personal cost for individuals who must be away from families and friends for extended periods of time. Without their commitment and dedication, Ireland's strong tradition of service overseas, under the auspices of the United Nations, would not be possible.

For peacekeeping missions to be successful and for peacekeepers to remain safe, missions must be a meaningful tool for the attainment of peace. The mission mandate must closely match the needs of the conflict and mandates must be resourced adequately. Ireland’s current contribution of 586 personnel to overseas missions is a very significant contribution in the context of the resources available for the Defence Forces.

I commend the motion to the House.

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