Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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142. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the progress he has made in lobbying for continued support of the UN Security Council mandate for the UNIFIL mission; if he intends to support a Uniting for Peace Resolution at the UN General Assembly should its mandate not be renewed by the UN Security Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43997/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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UNIFIL remains Ireland’s primary overseas mission and is at the centre of Ireland's long and proud history of UN peacekeeping. I know from my recent visit to our troops in UNIFIL in March that they are making a vital contribution in a very challenging environment.

Ireland strongly supports the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate. It is clear UNIFIL has adapted to the environment and is performing a vital role in the stabilization and security of southern Lebanon.

I have been actively engaged in supporting the renewal of the mandate, most recently raising the importance of the mandate’s renewal through calls I held with my counterparts in Lebanon and Italy, as well as the UN Under-Secretary General for Peace Operations, Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix. There was consensus across all these calls on the vital role UNIFIL is playing in maintaining stability in the region and the importance of the mandate’s renewal. In addition, I raised the importance of the EU remaining committed to the role of UNIFIL in Lebanon at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 23 June.

Discussions regarding mandate renewals are centred in the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary General has recommended that the Security Council renew the UNIFIL mandate for 12 months, to 31 August 2026. In his letter from 11 July, the Secretary General notes the recommitment of Israel and Lebanon to resolution 1701, the progress made by the Lebanese Armed Forces over the past 12 months, and the Secretary General’s own assessment of the continued need for UNIFIL, including consensus from across the Lebanese political spectrum.

I will continue to liaise with my counterparts on this and support the ongoing discussions regarding the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate. Our Permanent Mission to the UN in New York is also actively engaged with the UN and fellow Troop-Contributing Countries to UNIFIL in relation to the mandate renewal. As always, the safety and security of our peacekeepers remains a priority in all discussions.