Conflict Resolution Unit
Department of Foreign Affairs Scholarships in Conflict Resolution
Statement of Themes
The Department of Foreign Affairs (Conflict Resolution Unit), in partnership with the
Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences, invites applications
for the scheme of Department of Foreign Affairs Scholarships in Conflict Resolution.
Applicants’ proposed research must examine areas relevant to the work of the
Conflict Resolution Unit, as outlined below.
The overall mission of the Conflict Resolution Unit may be expressed as follows:
To seek actively to support conflict resolution primarily in the developing world,
based on our commitment to the ideals of peace and justice and our dedication to the
principles of the Charter of the United Nations, building on our own experience of
peacemaking and peacebuilding and fulfilling the commitments on conflict resolution
in the Programme for Government.
In fulfilling its mission, the Conflict Resolution Unit (CRU) will pursue the following
core themes:
Peacemaking – Mediation, Facilitation and Agreement Support
This theme defines the nature of our direct and indirect support for conflict
resolution, spanning that part of the conflict continuum from the inception of
conflict resolution to the process of agreement and its subsequent implementation.
Mediation and facilitation refer to direct support to a conflict resolution process,
while agreement support is designed to capture a range of activities that may arise
in the context of supporting the implementation of peace agreements.
Peacebuilding – Post-Conflict Transition, Reconciliation and Rule of Law
Ireland’s commitment to peacebuilding is already deeply grounded in our
traditional strong support for peacekeeping operations. This theme reflects the
evolution of policy thinking within the international community from the concept
of peacekeeping to the more comprehensive approach embraced by the term
‘peacebuilding’, notably in the context of UN structures. Post-conflict transition
involves critical interventions for peace consolidation and stabilisation, especially
focussing on gaps in post-conflict governance and needs such as security sector
reform; disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration; and transitional justice.
Rule of law is designed to embrace the importance of embedding the rule of law in
conflict resolution and peacebuilding, for example in transitional justice
mechanisms and institutional capacity-building.
Peace Process Lesson Sharing
This theme expresses our commitment to capture and utilise the knowledge of the
Northern Ireland peace process and to share that knowledge, acknowledging that
lesson-sharing is a two-way process. The field of lesson sharing internationally is
a new one, and Ireland is well placed to take a leading role in encouraging it.
In addition to these core areas of focus, the activities of the CRU will emphasise three
cross-cutting themes, which will inform all areas of activity. The cross-cutting themes
are:
Human Rights
Active promotion of human rights and support for the enhancement, codification
and implementation of human rights is an essential normative element in
international peace, security and development, and a key feature of Ireland’s
foreign policy. It is intended that a commitment to human rights be embedded in
our approach to conflict resolution.
UN Security Council Resolution 1325
UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security
highlights the need for increased participation of women at all stages of peace
processes, and will serve as a guiding principle of the CRU work programme.
Environmental Change and Conflict
The relationship between environmental factors and conflict, with a particular
emphasis on the effects of climate change, is an emerging issue which is likely to
be of critical importance, particularly in the developing world. Since this causal
relationship is likely to be aggravated by climate change in the years ahead, the
numbers of violent conflicts can be expected to increase further.
The Conflict Resolution Unit intends to work with a number of key partners,
including the United Nations, European Union and African Union, and also with other
governments and non-governmental organisations, to fulfil its mandate to support
conflict resolution processes internationally.