Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 March 2022
112. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Defence the details of the implementation of the pledges made by Ireland at the 2021 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial, Korea; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13378/22]
View answerIreland and other troop contributing countries register capabilities and contingents available for deployment to UN Peacekeeping Operations overseas on the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System (PCRS). These capabilities are additional to those already deployed or committed to other operations.
This provides the UN with a dynamic up-to-date catalogue of actual trained and available capabilities to draw from when establishing or reinforcing a UN mission.
In December 2021, I participated in a UN Peacekeeping Ministerial hosted by the Republic of Korea and reaffirmed Ireland’s commitment to strengthen peacekeeping by announcing six new pledges, responding to the UN’s identified needs.
The new pledges were identified following direct engagement with the UN’s Office of Military Affairs and included the protection of the health of peacekeepers and civilians by providing Buddy First Aid Kits to over a thousand Ghanian UN peacekeepers serving alongside members of the Irish Defence Forces in UNIFIL (Lebanon) and MINUSMA (Mali). Arrangements are being made with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) for the purchase and distribution of these kits
Funding support was also pledged for the UN’s Digital Transformation Strategy along with funding to support Sudan in preparing for the transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding. An allocation of €800,000 through the UN’s Climate and Security Mechanism was also pledged to support the UN Mission in South Soudan (UNMISS), in countering climate related security risks. These pledges are being progressed by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
A pledge to provide a master trainer from An Garda Siochana to lead Crime Led Intelligence 'train the trainer' courses for four weeks per annum is being progressed by the Department of Justice.
Ireland's existing pledges to provide training were enhanced by the deployment in January 2022 of a Defence Forces master Counter Improvised Explosive Devices trainer to work with the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Entebbe. In addition, Ireland will continue to invite other Troop Contributing Countries to join our pre-deployment and other relevant training courses at the Irish UN School at the Defence Forces Training Centre and deliver training on core capabilites overseas as the need arises.
Ireland continues to be a very active supporter of UN Peacekeeping and in particular working with others to try and drive forward the implementation of the UN's Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) and A4P+ initiatives which are so important in delivering improved and reformed UN peacekeeping operations.
