Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 87: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the current status of the conflict resolution unit in his Department; the number and grade of personnel assigned to the unit; the level of funding dedicated by him to the unit; the priority projects being pursued by the unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37583/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Conflict Resolution Unit was established in the Department in 2007 to enhance Ireland's engagement in conflict resolution internationally. The work of the Unit builds 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 human rights and the international rule of law. The unit is staffed by four officials: one Principal Officer; one Third Secretary; one Clerical Officer and one intern. The unit disbursed €2,112,000 from the Department's Stability Fund in 2011. One the unit's main areas of focus has been the development of a National Action Plan for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), in co-operation with other Government agencies and civil society representatives. UNSCR 1325 emphasises the distinct position of women in conflict situations, 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. I was delighted to mark the culmination of these efforts by officially launching Ireland's National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 on 25 November 2011.

The Conflict Resolution Unit is also engaged in sharing the lessons of conflict resolution in Northern Ireland with other regions experiencing, or emerging from, conflict. The unit also recognises that lesson-sharing is a two-way process, and there is much that Ireland can learn from others tackling the same issues. In co-operation with non-governmental partners, the unit has welcomed a number of delegations to Ireland in the past three years, facilitating visits for peace-builders from Afghanistan, Haiti, Israel, Nepal and elsewhere. The unit firmly supports and encourages international mediation initiatives and funds several mediation bodies and projects. Despite its proven cost-effectiveness, the practice of mediation has received insufficient attention or support internationally to date. Ireland has been a strong supporter of the United Nations Mediation Support Unit within the UN Department of Political Affairs since its establishment in 2006. The unit has also established relationships with a number of international non-governmental partners engaged in mediation. I was pleased to attend a meeting of the UN Friends of Mediation group in the margins of the UN General Assembly in September of this year and look forward to contributing to its work.

The Conflict Resolution Unit will seek to build on this range of expertise as Ireland assumes the chairmanship-in-office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in January 2012, for one calendar year. Comprising 56 participating states from Europe, Central Asia and North America, the OSCE is the world's largest intergovernmental regional security organisation, dealing with a range of issues in the areas of democratisation, human rights, arms control and economic and environmental security. Ireland's experience of the Northern Ireland Peace Process will be especially relevant when dealing with the OSCE's so-called "protracted conflicts". Staff from the Conflict Resolution Unit and the OSCE Taskforce will work together during 2012, in order to ensure our work on conflict resolution in the OSCE benefits from the experience we have gained nationally.