Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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123. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions Ireland is involved in at UN level regarding the parameters of diplomatic immunity for UN employees and other diplomatic staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8524/18]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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124. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the discussions Ireland is involved in at UN level regarding diplomatic immunity for diplomats accused of crimes including alleged child abuse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8525/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together.

The effectiveness of the UN depends on its positive reputation as a force for good in the world. It is therefore critical to the performance and reputation of the organisation that its staff operate to the highest standards. Sexual exploitation and abuse by UN staff, whose fundamental objective is to protect and care for innocent civilians, is absolutely unacceptable.

When attending the opening of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly last September, I participated in the high-level meeting on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse convened by the UN Secretary General, António Guterres. I welcome Secretary General Guterres’ appointment of Jane Connors as the UN’s first Victims’ Rights Advocate for victims of sexual exploitation and abuse. Ireland fully supports the placing of the rights and dignity of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse at the forefront of the UN’s prevention and response efforts in this area.

Secretary General Guterres has also revised UN policies on investigations and disciplinary processes, and strengthened protections for those who report harassment. The UN Secretary General has also launched a gender parity strategy which will address gender and power imbalances that lie at the root of harassment.

Mr. Guterres has also made clear that sexual exploitation and abuse is a problem of the entire United Nations and is not restricted to peacekeeping. He has acknowledged that the majority of the cases of sexual exploitation and abuse are committed by the civilian organisations of the United Nations, and not in peacekeeping operations.

In this respect Mr. Guterres has requested the UN’s Agencies, Funds and Programmes, which carry out vital work in the field, to adopt new measures and strengthen existing ones to better prevent, detect, report and take action against personnel, who commit what he rightly describes as inexcusable and abhorrent acts. I recall that the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations provides that privileges and immunities are granted to officials and experts in the interests of the United Nations and not for the personal benefit of the individuals themselves. These privileges and immunities are rightly accorded to allow UN staff members to carry out their work in often difficult circumstances. The Secretary-General has “the right and the duty to waive the immunity of any official [or expert] in any case where, in his opinion, the immunity would impede the course of justice and can be waived without prejudice to the interests of the United Nations. In the case of the Secretary-General, the Security Council shall have the right to waive immunity.”

Any case of exploitation or abuse, any case where the trust placed in the UN by all of us is broken, is one case too many. The UN can only meet its responsibilities as a force of good for our shared world if its staff and actions are beyond reproach. The UN must therefore have the systems and policies in place which provide transparency and accountability, and Ireland will continue to support the Secretary General as he implements such policies.