Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 18: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the work programme of the conflict resolution unit in his Department. [31722/09]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Conflict Resolution Unit (CRU) was established within the Department in 2007 to enhance Ireland's engagement in conflict resolution internationally. The work of the unit is intended to build on Ireland's tradition of UN peacekeeping, our commitment to overseas development aid, our experience of the peace process in Northern Ireland, and our commitment to international human rights and the rule of law. It aims to draw from our own experience of peacemaking and peace-building and from the work of Irish Aid and the Anglo-Irish Division. As part of its work programme the unit currently has two initiatives in the field, one in Timor-Leste and the other a cross-learning exercise with Liberia and Timor-Leste on how best to advance the role of women in conflict resolution and peace-building.

As one of the most fragile of the nine Irish Aid programme countries, Timor-Leste was identified as an appropriate country for initial engagement. The CRU engagement there is headed by Dame Nuala O'Loan, our Special Envoy to Timor-Leste and on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

Our engagement in Timor-Leste, in close co-operation with Irish Aid's development programme there, is designed to address key issues directly related to the risk of renewed internal conflict. Initiatives taken so far include support for an early warning and response system based in civil society, a programme on peace, remembrance and reconciliation, advice on security sector reform, and support for structured high level dialogue amongst rival leaders.

The CRU is committed to sharing lessons learned from the Northern Ireland peace process with other regions that experience conflict and lesson sharing visits are a growing area of activity in the CRU work programme.

In May, a programme was arranged for visiting Afghan Parliamentarians which examined the background to and approach of the Governments to resolving the conflict in Northern Ireland. In the same spirit of lesson learning, last week at the invitation of my colleague, Minister Martin, a group of Nepalese politicians and senior civil servants, led by the Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, were in Ireland to also learn from the Northern Ireland peace process. During their visit, the group also met with political and civil society leaders, North and South, that were involved in the peace process.

As the Minister, Deputy Martin, announced on 9 September, a book has been commissioned to mark the tenth anniversary of the Patten Report on policing in Northern Ireland. It is hoped that the publication will capture lessons from the Patten process which might be usefully shared with others.

As regards working with academic institutions, we have examined a number of models to see how best to make use of the wide range of relevant expertise across all existing institutions and how to encourage collaboration between them. The Minister, Deputy Martin, is anxious to avoid the creation of unnecessarily elaborate structures. In this respect he met on 16 July with representatives of the main academic institutions to announce a new academic research scheme for which a request for proposals will be made later this year. A number of fourth level scholarships have also been awarded. As the Deputy will appreciate, conflict resolution is complex and sensitive work and can only be carried out effectively in close co-ordination and partnership with other key agencies and governments.