Peace and stability
Ireland’s engagement in conflict resolution and peacebuilding is grounded in our own experience of building peace and promoting reconciliation on the island of Ireland.
Sharing our experience helps us protect and nurture peace in Ireland, and helps peace builders elsewhere.
We know that inclusive approaches, which place human rights at their centre, lead to more enduring and sustainable peace. All peace processes are unique, but through lesson sharing we can learn from each other.
The Women, Peace and Security agenda has a powerful resonance in Ireland. We have seen the transformative impact women have had on the Northern Ireland peace process. This has been both in negotiating the Good Friday Agreement and continuing the essential work of peacebuilding today.
Supporting peace and stability
We work with the international community to promote conflict resolution around the world. Our efforts focus on peace-making, peace-building and sharing our experience of the Northern Ireland peace process.
Ireland takes a holistic and integrated approach. We support conflict resolution and peacebuilding in our political, development and humanitarian work. We do this through the multilateral system, as well as through ongoing bilateral and civil society engagement, in particular in Colombia and the Horn of Africa.
In our contribution to international conflict resolution, Ireland draws on:
- Ireland’s tradition of UN peacekeeping
- Our commitment to overseas development aid
- Our experience of the peace process in Northern Ireland
- Our commitment to human rights and the international rule of law
Women Peace and Security Agenda
The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda is based on UN Resolution 1325, and nine further related resolutions, which recognise the differential impact of conflict has on women and girls. This agenda is founded on the idea that due to the power dynamics of gender, conflict has different effects on women, girls, boys and men.
Ireland has direct, first-hand experience of the benefits of the WPS agenda. Women played a crucial role in negotiating peace in Northern Ireland and continue to play an essential role in peacebuilding today.
One of the most important elements of WPS is its application and implementation by member states through National Action Plans. Over 100 UN member states currently have National Action Plans.
Ireland’s National Action Plan (NAP)
Ireland’s Third National Action Plan (2019-2024) was launched in June 2019 by then Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney T.D. The development of this plan was led by a working group appointed by the Tánaiste made up of half government and half civil society.
The action plan was drafted based on the findings of:
- The Mid Term and the Final Review for the Second National Action Plan
- A call for written submissions which took place in November/December 2018. 49 written submissions were received
- Two consultation workshops, in Cork and Dublin attended by over 100 participants from civil society, academia and government represented
Read submissions on Ireland's Third National Action Plan.
As part of its monitoring and reporting requirements, the NAP contains a commitment to present an Annual Report to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence (JCFAD).
The first Annual Report was submitted to the JCFAD on 11 February 2021. This report is structured in line with the four key pillars of the NAP:
- Prevention
- Participation
- Protection
- Promotion
The projects and programmes implemented in the first year of the NAP are outlined under each key pillar.
The report highlights the impact of the COVID-19 crisis during 2020, and takes a detailed look at Ireland's implementation of the WPS agenda both domestically and internationally. A monitoring framework, available in the annex to the report, indicates progress made on each of the actions and indicators contained in the NAP.
Our Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security is also available in Irish/as Gaeilge.
Advancing the WPS Agenda was a top priority for Ireland’s 2021-2022 term on the UN Security Council. Our focus was on ensuring the commitments made in the WPS resolutions were implemented on the ground, and that a gender focus was mainstreamed across all work done by the Security Council.