Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 2: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans for the adoption of Ireland's national action plan for implementation of UNSCR 1325 completed on behalf of the previous Government and civil society by Dr. Nata Duvvury; and the system of monitoring and evaluation he will adopt to ensure that Ireland's national action plan is comprehensively implemented. [8885/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I join the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, in complimenting Deputy Ó Fearghaíl on his appointment.

The conflict resolution unit within my Department is taking the lead role in the development of Ireland's national action plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. The resolution calls for an increase in the participation of women in peacemaking and peace building processes; the protection of women and girls in armed conflict; and the incorporation of a gender perspective into peacekeeping and peace building processes.

Since February 2010, an extensive consultation process has taken place between representatives of Departments, the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, civil society and academia. An independent chair and drafter were appointed to this process in late 2010 and the final phase of consultation ended on 18 February this year, with the submission of a draft national action plan , prepared by Dr. Nata Duvvury. We are very grateful for the work done by Dr. Duvvury, which will be the basis for the plan in its final form.

My officials are currently collating observations received from other Departments on the draft prepared by Dr. Duvvury and it is my intention to submit the final version of the national action plan for approval by Government in the near future.

Regarding the proposed system for monitoring and evaluation of the national action plan, my expectation is that a monitoring group will be formed to oversee progress on the implementation of Ireland's national action plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. This monitoring group would have a similar composition to the consultative group established to advise on the development of the national action plan and would also work with the appropriate Oireachtas committee to ensure involvement by parliamentarians. The chair of the group would be independent and come from outside the Government system.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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As the Minister is aware, there has been a significant consultation process, headed by the former president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Ms Inez McCormack, who is very respected in the sphere of human rights and conflict resolution. It is a very important process that underscores Ireland's commitment to international human rights. One of the things of which we are most proud is the appointment of former President, Mary Robinson, as High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The programme was to have been launched on international women's day on 8 March last. With the collapse of the Government some time was lost in that process. Is there a definite timeframe for commencement? The Minister has outlined some of the oversight and regulation roles. I would like to have a clearer sense of when it will be commenced and an assurance that it will not be long-fingered.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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As Deputy Mac Lochlainn said, there has been a considerable consultation process regarding the national action plan and considerable resources have been devoted to the process within the Department of Foreign Affairs and other Departments.

In 2009, some €485,000 from the Department's stability fund funded a cross-learning initiative and consultation with women affected by conflict. This is in addition to funding of €220,000 allocated to support international organisations, including UNIFAM, for their work on global indicators. These resources were made available in addition to the considerable human and financial resources already devoted to resolution-related activities across Government. The final figure for expenditure on activities related to UNSCR 1325 for 2010 is €412,000 approximately.

A process has been underway since the draft was submitted on 18 February 2011. Following the appointment of the new Government on 9 March 2011, which post-dated International Women's Day on 8 March, the conflict resolution unit of my Department carried out a thorough examination of the document prior to internal circulation on 23 March 2011. Following receipt of observations, the revised draft was circulated to other Departments with a request for observations by 15 April 2011. As I stated earlier, my officials are currently collating the observations received and I intend to submit the final version of the national action plan for approval by the Government in the near future.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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I have a brief supplementary question. I am broadly satisfied with the Minister's response. I remind the House that the Minister's colleague, Deputy Howlin, speaking at the joint consortium annual event in November 2010, said that Ireland's national action plan should include a strong monitoring plan that is implemented effectively and ambitiously. He said it should be particularly one that includes oversight by the Oireachtas and allows for "Opposition Members to hold the Government to account on this matter". He also highlighted that "an adequate budget and sufficient resources were needed to take on its massive political task". This is the commitment made by a now senior Minister and member of the Tánaiste's party. He maintained it was the remit of the Opposition to hold the Government to account. I am sure many respected non-governmental organisations monitor these situations to try to ensure that countries across the world honour their international commitments.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The development of the national action plan has been a collaborative process between civil society and Government. I very much appreciate the role played by the joint consortium in acting as champions in Ireland for Resolution 1325. For any national action plan to succeed, it will have to represent a balance between the high ambition we all have towards implementing the resolution and the resources which are available. I believe the proposed monitoring and evaluation structure in the national action plan, which I outlined in general terms in my earlier response, builds on the proposals made by civil society and will guarantee this strong implementation and ownership across the government system. Once the Oireachtas committees have been established, there will be an opportunity for Members to question and participate in the evaluation of the plan.