Irish Gov’t Funds Conflict Unit

Home

Community

Irish World

Travel

Ireland

Roots

News

Shopping

Dating

Search

Irish Voice

Columnists

Classifieds

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Read newsletters

Enter your e-mail address to receive our weekly e-Newsletter:

Irish Voice News

Irish Gov’t Funds Conflict Unit

July 12, 2007

By Paddy Clancy

THE Irish government is to provide $34 million a year to fund a conflict resolution unit aimed at helping develop peaceful solutions in overseas trouble spots.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern told the diplomatic corps in Dublin that following the end of conflict in the North and the establishment of the power-sharing Executive there, the Irish government is determined to develop a role for itself as a world peace-broker.

He said lessons had been learned through the resolution of the troubles in the North about the role of the international community in bringing peace.

Ahern said, “Then political, moral and material support we have received has been invaluable. The government is committed to sharing our experiences so that other countries and regions can benefit from the lessons we have learned.”

He added, “Across the globe Northern Ireland, Ireland as a whole, is today renowned not for conflict but for resolving conflict.”

The minister said he believes Ireland must place conflict resolution alongside its existing priorities. Consequently, he had established the conflict resolution at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

An academic center for conflict resolution would also be created to further develop national expertise in brokering peace in trouble-spots.

Scholarships would be funded to ensure a continuous stream of academic expertise with a system of “roving ambassadors” in place to speed off to conflict regions.

Share this story: digg this | Add to del.icio.us

Print Save Discussions

Discuss

Email a friend