Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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119. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps now being taken to restore the status of the UN as an internationally respected entity in peacekeeping or peace enforcement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12462/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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120. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which UN peacekeeping forces can be relied upon to protect persons at various locations in which abuses are currently taking place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12463/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 119 and 120 together.

UN peacekeeping is one of the most collaborative, effective and visible tools of the UN in the promotion and maintenance of peace and security across the globe. There are currently 12 UN peacekeeping operations worldwide, with over 95,000 uniformed personnel from over 120 countries. It is a global effort to which Ireland is fully committed- with contributions from the Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána, Ireland is present in more than half of the current UN peacekeeping operations.

UN peacekeepers are increasingly deployed to complex and volatile environments, making it vital that peacekeeping operations are designed to ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and focus on the protection of civilians. To this end, UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched a peacekeeping reform initiative in 2018, known as Action for Peacekeeping. It aims to refocus peacekeeping with more targeted mandates, stronger operations, mobilised support for political solutions, and better-equipped and trained forces to strengthen protection of civilians.

Ireland is fully supportive of this initiative. During our time on the Security Council, Ireland will work to ensure that the mandates for peacekeeping missions align with the needs of the people they seek to protect, and that the missions have the resources necessary to carry out their tasks.