I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 31 together.
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 peacebuilding and from the work of Irish Aid, while also developing a range of partnerships with relevant international organisations and 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 peacebuilding.
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 and Special Envoy to Timor Leste.
Our engagement in Timor Leste, in close cooperation 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 amongst rival leaders. Our Special Envoy and the Conflict Resolution Unit consult closely with key bi-lateral 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 coordination 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. It has a close working relationship with a number of international NGOs, particularly the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Interpeace, International Alert and the International Security Sector Advisory Team.
As outlined in the White Paper on Irish Aid, we have also planned to work with academics and civil society in Ireland to develop and draw from our overall national capacity in this area. I am glad that a system of fourth-level scholarships has 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.
In terms of working with academic institutions, we have examined a number of models to see how best to capture the diverse range of research across all institutions and how to encourage collaboration between them. I am anxious to avoid the creation of unnecessarily elaborate structures.