Minister for Foreign Affairs Announces Increase in Number of Postgraduate Research Scholarships in Conflict Resolution
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin T.D., today announced a significant increase in the number of fourth-level scholarships funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs to support academic research in the area of conflict resolution.
A commitment in the Programme for Government, the scholarship scheme was launched in the academic year 2008/2009 when two scholarships were awarded. Reflecting the Government’s commitment to enhancing Ireland’s contribution to conflict resolution internationally, the scheme has been expanded significantly. In the 2009/2010 academic year the Conflict Resolution Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs will fund up to five scholarships in this area.
Announcing the second round of the scheme, the Minister said: “The expansion of this scheme reflects Ireland’s commitment to making a distinctive contribution in the resolution of conflict internationally. The Conflict Resolution Unit of my Department is to actively support peacemaking and peacebuilding in areas affected by conflict, and this scheme will provide a valuable resource which the Unit can draw on in its work. Supporting the capacity of Irish academia to contribute to international conflict resolution is a key pillar of the Government’s conflict resolution strategy.”
The Minister said “The scholarship scheme, which my Department established in partnership with the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS), is crucial in building our national academic capacity and expertise in the area of conflict resolution.”
Note for Editors:
The scheme will be administered in partnership between the
Department of Foreign Affairs and the Irish Research Council for
the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS). In 2008, the scheme
funded two researchers to undertake research work in the area of
conflict resolution leading to the award of Ph.D degrees. The
students have recently begun their studies, and will focus on the
role of gender in disarmament programmes in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo and gender and identity in peace processes.
The Programme for Government emphasises the importance of conflict resolution as a theme in Irish foreign policy. The Conflict Resolution Unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs is leading work in the Department, in conjunction with Irish Aid and the Anglo-Irish Division, on enhancing Irish engagement in conflict resolution activities. In addition to leading the development of national academic capacity in conflict resolution, the Conflict Resolution Unit oversees a Stability Fund to support specific efforts in the area of conflict resolution, supports the work of the Special Envoy to Timor-Leste, and is actively promoting the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 on the role of women in peace and security with a particular emphasis on Liberia and Timor-Leste.
Details of the scholarship scheme, including instructions for applicants, can be found on the websites of the Department of Foreign Affairs (www.dfa.ie) and IRCHSS (www.irchss.ie).
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14th November 2008
Press Office
