Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 November 2016
16. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence his plans to introduce measures to ensure a larger and dedicated contribution of female Defence Forces members in peacekeeping operations, taking into account UN Resolution 1325 which acknowledges the disproportionate impact of armed conflict on women and girls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33973/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am interested to hear the Minister's response on what he will do to build a first national action plan for UN Resolution 1325, which was introduced by a previous Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the former Deputy Eamon Gilmore and former President Mary Robinson, and how the follow-up national action plan 2015-2018 is progressing.
The Government remains committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and that the Defence Forces have no restrictions as regards the assignment of men or women to the full range of operational and administrative duties, including in respect of participation in UN peacekeeping operations. The advancement of the women peace and security agenda in peacekeeping operations is an area in which Irish peacekeepers have taken a very proactive role.
In preparing contingents for overseas operations, significant training is provided on gender to all Defence Forces personnel. Moreover, a gender perspective is included in the planning and conduct of all overseas military operations, something that is particularly relevant in circumstances where gender-based violence has occurred.
In May 2015, during a visit to Ireland, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, observed the value in some situations of being able to call on female peacekeepers having regard to the multifaceted nature of peacekeeping challenges. He requested that consideration be given to the contribution of women soldiers to UN operations and that Ireland might factor this into its approach to such operations. The recent White Paper on Defence highlights the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in setting out the vital role that women can play in conflict prevention, conflict resolution, peace building, post-conflict reconstruction, reform and governance.
The White Paper also contains commitments to significantly increase participation of women in the Defence Forces. A number of projects have been identified to give effect to these commitments and work has recently commenced in my Department to this end.
At the recent UN Peacekeeping Ministerial held in London, which I attended, one of the main issues discussed was improving peacekeeping, including increasing the involvement of women at all levels in overseas missions. I contributed to the session on the participation of women in peace and security, outlining actions currently undertaken by Ireland in that area and confirming our commitment to increase the participation of women at senior decision-making and leadership levels in the Irish Defence Forces.
I am delighted to say that Ireland recently appointed the first female officer to the prestigious position of officer commanding a Defence Forces contingent on an overseas mission with the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Mary Carroll to the position in UNDOF, where she is currently undertaking.
At any one time there are a number of conflicts in the world and the general balance of the world order is influenced heavily by a small number of influential actors. On the election of Donald Trump last night I share with many millions of people across the world an anxiety about what is around the corner. Hopefully, this anxiety is unfounded and there is no escalation in international conflict. The UN Resolution 1325 recognises the disproportionate impact of war on women and their vital role in building peace. For the first time, gender was made a matter of international peace and security. That was 16 years ago. I welcome the action plans introduced by the last Government. We now need to know what impact these action plans have had on our peacekeeping operations.
I wish to inform the Deputy that currently there are 551 women serving in the Permanent Defence Force, amounting to 6.1% of serving personnel. There are currently 496 personnel serving overseas. There are 20 women overseas on UN peacekeeping duties and five females are deployed on humanitarian operations by the Naval Service in the Mediterranean on Operation Pontus. This amounts to 5.04% of the overseas personnel. The Irish unit commander to UNDOF, in charge of the 54th infantry group is female, Lieutenant Colonel Mary Carroll. This is the first time a female has commanded a mixed operational infantry unit on a United Nations' peacekeeping mission.
In Donegal a couple of weeks ago I reviewed the personnel of the 109th infantry battalion travelling to Lebanon for service with United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, in which there was a total of 21 female personnel travelling out as part of the Irish unit. It is great for the Permanent Defence Forces that we are able to attract women into the organisation. I really believe that women add a different dimension to the leadership and peacekeeping participation.
This matter must be taken seriously and there has to be a real energy behind it. I am not sure if it is there yet but I am positive about what the Minister of State has said. With our proud and honourable peacekeeping record, Ireland should be leading the charge in implementing UN Resolution 1325 and we should be the exemplar in gender-led peacekeeping.
One of the family-friendly initiatives, which has been taken up by many of female personnel, is the option to serve three months overseas instead of six months. It is a great initiative but the Defence Forces are currently working on a number of other initiatives to raise the awareness among Irish society that all roles and operational appointments are open to women. To this end, the Defence Forces have employed civilian experts to assist with marketing campaigns and gender-specific messaging. The Defence Forces have developed a number of family-friendly initiatives for the good of the organisation that have been taken up by a large number of female personnel. There is no doubt that women bring a different dimension to peacekeeping operations while abroad, compared to some of their male counterparts. When one witnesses at first-hand the participation of women in peacekeeping duties when they go in to the villages and towns, and the way they are able to interact with the locals and with the male and female leaders of communities, we see that these personnel really play a very important role. We are taking this issue very seriously indeed.
