Billy Timmins
Question:3 Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the role and function of the conflict resolution centre. [5340/09]
View answerThursday, 12 February 2009
Questions (3)
Oral answers (14 contributions)
The Government is committed to seeking to increase Irish engagement in international conflict resolution as a dimension of our foreign policy. The role of the conflict resolution unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs is to offer support for conflict resolution efforts internationally while also seeking to develop our national capacity in this area. It aims to draw from our own experience of peacemaking and peace building and from the work of Irish Aid, while also developing a range of partnerships with relevant international organisations and non-governmental organisations, NGOs.
The unit currently has two initiatives in the field, one in Timor-Leste and the other a cross-learning exercise involving Liberia, Timor-Leste and Northern Ireland on how best to advance the role of women in conflict resolution and peace building. As one of the most fragile of the nine Irish Aid programme countries, Timor-Leste was identified as an appropriate country for initial engagement. The CRU engagement there is headed by Dame Nuala O'Loan, our first roving ambassador for conflict resolution, former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland and special envoy to Timor-Leste.
Our engagement in Timor-Leste, in close co-operation with Irish Aid's development programme there, is designed to address key issues directly related to the risk of renewed internal conflict. Initiatives taken so far include support for an early warning and response system based in civil society, a programme on peace, remembrance and reconciliation, advice on security sector reform, and support for structured high level dialogue among rival leaders. Our special envoy and the conflict resolution unit consult closely with key bilateral partners in the region and with the United Nations.
The cross-learning process on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security is designed to facilitate the sharing of experiences between Liberia, Timor-Leste and Northern Ireland with a view to encouraging best practice. In addition to a meeting of representatives from these areas organised last November, a conflict resolution unit project team has recently carried out missions to Monrovia and Dili. The outcome of this process will also feed into the development of Ireland's own national action plan on Resolution 1325. Following approaches from some other quarters, the possibility of further engagements in the field is being explored. These must of necessity remain confidential for now.
Conflict resolution is complex and sensitive work and can only be carried out effectively in close co-ordination with other key agencies and governments. The conflict resolution unit has broadened its network of contacts in the UN, EU and the OECD's development assistance committee.
We have developed a system of fourth level scholarships and they have already been put in place. Two three-year scholarships were awarded last year and up to five will be awarded this year, in conjunction with the Irish Council for Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. We are examining a number of models to see how best to make use of the wide range of relevant expertise across all existing institutions and how to encourage collaboration between them.
This was launched in July 2007 and €25 million was allocated for it. From where is that money coming? Is it from the Irish Aid budget? Was the €25 million a once-off payment or what is the position?
There was also a commitment given regarding an academic centre. What is the status of that? Has the Minister set it up and, if so, where is it? If not, where will it be?
The concept was that scholarships would be set up in the conflict resolution area and also that research would be carried out. Where is this research being carried out? Are there specific staff for the conflict resolution centre? Is it something tangible? If I walk into the Department, will I see a door with "conflict resolution centre" on it or will I be sent from Billy to Jack where everyone has a little piece of the job, but no one is doing any of it?
There was a commitment to appoint a number of roving ambassadors, but it did not state how many. The Minister mentioned Mrs. Nuala O'Loan. Has she been to Timor often and has she produced a report on it? I ask him to let me know the detail on that, and also to leave me with time for a supplementary.
I hope Deputy Timmins would leave me time to give the first reply.
A unit, with staff, in my Department deals specifically with the conflict resolution agenda and policy. It is important that it is integrated into the Department of Foreign Affairs. There is a strong engagement with the Irish Aid section, for example, because there is attendant conflict in many areas of poverty. Conflict is a significant cause of much of the poverty in many countries and there is a relationship with Irish Aid. There is also a relationship with the Anglo-Irish unit in the Department because of the experience of Northern Ireland.
The worst possible approach would be to set up an isolated centre. We are formulating and evolving policy. That is where the conflict resolution unit sits. It is important that it integrates with wider elements of the Department and that the Department has an holistic overarching engagement with conflict resolution. This would ensure that any person in any mission could at any stage be brought into this endeavour if it is applicable.
I am not in favour of a specific academic centre. I have made this clear, both to the unit and to universities, because we have much existing expertise out there. For example, some universities — we have funded this through Irish Aid already — have good relationships with international organisations on crop production, agricultural techniques, etc. UCG and UCC, for example, have good capacities in humanitarian law. Why exclude all of those from engagement here?
The model I would prefer would be a consortium of the colleges that we already have, involving a utilisation of existing disciplines——
The time for this question has expired.
——and endeavouring to get universities much more proactively focused on having development issues and conflict issues as part of their mission statement and ethos. Some university presidents are moving in that direction. In my opinion, that is the best way to go.
I will allow a brief supplementary.
How many staff work in the unit? I refer to the Mrs. Nuala O'Loan issue.
The most divisive issue in Irish foreign affairs is Palestine and Israel. It is probably the most emotive and divisive issue across the globe. As a start, instead of bringing the protagonists to Ireland, could the Minister get the people on both sides of the argument here, who are very active and involve themselves in much propaganda, into our conflict resolution centre to see if we can come up with an agreed policy? We expect the Americans, and the Quartet, to come up with a policy and we cannot come up with one here. Will the Minister consider all the protagonists because the vast majority of people concerned are reasonable and express a moderate view, but the extremists are distorting the view of the country? I would like the Minister to give a commitment to get them into our conflict resolution centre and let them tease out where we should go with regard to policy in this area.
We are way over time.
There seems to be a conflict between Government policy and EU policy. Even within the Minister's party, there seems to be many difficulties on what is the policy.
First, Mrs. Nuala O'Loan has been very active in Timore-Leste and has compiled two reports. What I may do, for the benefit of Members, is organise a briefing with Mrs. O'Loan on her experience in Timore-Leste and also regarding the security advice area, where we have invited some of their participants to Ireland to work on training on supporting civilian populations, etc., and how the police force and army should work in such situations.
On the Palestinian issue and the Middle East generally, we have written to Senator George Mitchell, who has particularly strong experience. We have offered any help or assistance we can give him in his endeavour and mission.
I must call a halt. We are way over time.
In terms of our own capacity, we are working with Glencree and others to ensure that we can facilitate the type of engagement Deputy Timmins mentioned.
Internally, here in Ireland.
Yes. That is an important dimension.