Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the details of the proposed conflict resolution centre discussed at his recent meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. [18647/07]

Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 139: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his recent meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18706/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 139 together.

On Monday 25 June, I had the honour to meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town. Archbishop Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. He paid a warm tribute to Ireland's support in those years, and also to our continued support to South Africa since 1994, including through the Irish Aid programme. Archbishop Tutu's straightforward and at times outspoken approach to global human rights issues is widely admired.

We had a very interesting and wide-ranging discussion. Archbishop Tutu has taken a broad interest in conflict resolution throughout the world, but especially in Africa. I briefed him on Ireland's particular focus on the tragic situation in Darfur. We discussed the current crisis in Zimbabwe, where African leadership is very much needed, and where South Africa has a particular role to play. We also spoke about South Africa's role in African more generally, and the potential for it to draw on its human rights heritage in using its influence. I thanked Archbishop Tutu for his unceasing efforts to encourage more active African leadership in relation to the crises on the continent.

We discussed some of the development challenges facing Africa, and in particular the fight against HIV/AIDS, in which the Archbishop has a particular interest and involvement through the Tutu Foundation. The Irish Government currently gives the highest priority to addressing the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. South Africa has one of the highest infection rates of any country in the world, and over 20% of Irish Aid's current South African programme is dedicated to supporting HIV/AIDS interventions. In 2006, Irish Aid provided funding of €120,000 to the Tutu Foundation to support its work in this field. I informed the Archbishop of the Government's commitment to increase the Irish contribution to overseas development to reach the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income by 2012. We discussed the important contribution which Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector can and do make to development in Africa and elsewhere.

Archbishop Tutu raised a number of projects which he is currently pursuing. One of these is the proposed Desmond Tutu Centre for Peace, Reconciliation and Conflict Resolution in Cape Town. The Archbishop described the purpose of this planned centre as providing moral leadership on reconciliation, forgiveness and conflict resolution. Planning for the centre is currently at a preliminary stage. I informed him of Ireland's own plans in the field of conflict resolution through the establishment of a new Conflict Resolution Unit within my Department, which will build on the experience we already have in this field.