Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 25 Mar 1993

Vol. 428 No. 3

Adjournment Debates. - Payment for UN Peace-Keeping Duties.

Mr. B. Fitzgerald

For over 30 years Ireland has played a major role in peace-keeping operations all over the world under the United Nations flag. Thirty-three thousand personnel have proudly represented Ireland in those operations. Many stayed on long after the central conflict was over to protect borders and to help restore normality in those countries. Currently we have men in ten of the 30 areas where there are UN peace-keeping operations. About 800 personnel are involved. During the past 30 years many have paid the supreme sacrifice in the promotion of peace. Many have been injured and maimed.

Unfortunately we have not been paid and we are owed quite a lot of money. We have always paid our contributions, in terms of both finance and manpower. Others who could well afford to pay and have very high budgets for their own defence forces appear to renege on their financial commitments to the UN and expect small countries like Ireland to suffer. When so many of our troops are away for so many months of the year, one must ask whether they are adequately compensated. That is, perhaps, a matter for another day but it must be considered.

We cannot afford to be owed in excess of $20 million. We have just had a debate on social welfare and we saw the serious constraints on the budget in many areas. That kind of money could go a long way towards building Tallaght hospital, for example.

Every effort must be made to obtain what we are owed from the United Nations. Pressure must be put on those countries who are reneging on their obligations to fund the peace-keeping obligations of the UN. I would ask the Tánaiste what he proposes to do to obtain payment.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

I would like to take this opportunity to reassure Deputies that the question of arrears of funds owed by the United Nations to Ireland, which currently stand at approximately £6 million, is a matter of great and ongoing concern to the Government. We continue to take every opportunity to make representations to all those concerned to urge the payment of our entitlement and the full reimbursement of arrears. As recently as 19 March, I wrote in strong terms to the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, seeking urgent action in the matter and have instructed our Permanent Representative in New York to continue to press for an early and satisfactory resolution of this problem.

Throughout its membership of the United Nations, Ireland has had a strong commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter. We have sought to give tangible expression to that commitment and to the role of the organisation in international affairs through our involvement in UN peace-keeping stretching back over 30 years. It is a record in which Irish people take great pride. Over 33,000 members of our Permanent Defence Forces have had the honour of serving under the United Nations flag. Ireland contributes personnel to ten of the current 13 UN peace-keeping operations. Several of our soldiers have been killed and many more injured in the service of the United Nations.

The Government is conscious of the necessity for the United Nations to have adequate resources to carry out the tasks entrusted to it by the member states.

We have, accordingly, been consistently supportive of the Secretary General's efforts to remedy the long-standing financial problems of the United Nations and have ensured that our annual contributions have been paid promptly and in full, even in times of extreme national budgetary difficulties. Our national budgetary difficulties lend added urgency to the question of the payment of arrears due to us in respect of troops contributed to a number of peace-keeping operations.

The reasons for the financial difficulties which have beset UN peace-keeping operations are well known. The past and continuing failure of a number of member states to respect their legal obligation to pay their assessed contributions in full and on time places a huge and unfair burden on both the organisation itself and on those countries which contribute troops for peace-keeping duties. This is especially so at a time when the United Nations is being called upon to contribute to an ever-increasing number of peace-keeping operations. If the UN is to function effectively, and respond to the many demands placed on the organisation, it is imperative that all member states pay their mandatory assessed contributions in full and on time.

There has been an improvement in the payment performance of member states in recent years and this has enabled the UN to increase the rate of reimbursement to Governments that contribute to UNIFIL. However, there remained a shortfall of $228 million on the UNIFIL account as of the beginning of January 1993, as compared with $231 million as of mid-July 1992. The amount outstanding by way of reimbursement on arrears owing to Ireland stood at $15 million for UNIFIL at the end of February 1993. The other major item of arrears is £0.8 million owned on foot of our participation in UNFICYP, the UN force in Cyprus.

As regards our service in Lebanon, to which the Deputy particularly referred, I am satisfied that UNIFIL performs a valuable function in South Lebanon. It provides an element of stability in a region of major international concern as well as contributing to the security and humantarian needs of the local population. The continued presence of the Force also constitutes an expression of the commitment of the international community to the unity and integrity of the State of Lebanon. Continued Irish participation in UNIFIL is fully consistent with Ireland's firm commitment to the United Nations and to our tradition of support for the principles and practices of UN peace-keeping. The Irish contingent, by virtue of its long service and its reputation for professionalism, is a key element in the entire UNIFIL operation.

Ireland's commitment to the cause of international peace and security through our participation in UN operations remains undiminished and we will continue to pursue vigorously the question of the arrears owed to us on foot of UN peace-keeping.