Irish troops have served in 58 United Nations missions since they first went to Lebanon in 1958. There have been 85 fatalities among them since then all over the world.
The list of countries involved ranges from Afghanistan to Syria to Liberia, Bosnia, Nicaragua, Congo and East Timor. These missions have ranged from peacekeeping to peace enforcement. And they have been dedicated to the rule of law, social and political justice and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
As Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea said yesterday, these values are at the heart of Ireland's identity in the world. While it is fitting indeed to recall the distinguished record of military service as 50 years of United Nations membership is remembered, it is but a part of Ireland's wider UN participation. This State was an enthusiastic member of the inter-war League of Nations, in which Eamon de Valera played a prominent role. The League's failure to prevent large power remilitarisation triggered the second World War, after which Ireland remained outside the new UN for 10 years. We joined when the Suez crisis, the Soviet invasion of Hungary, the rising tempo of decolonisation and the growing threat of nuclear weapons were the major issues in world politics.
All these affected Ireland's initial decade of UN membership profoundly. That first period was highly creative, laying down patterns of involvement that became an enduring part of Ireland's international identity. Vigorous support for decolonisation, high profile involvement in the UN's Congo operation and playing a leading role in negotiation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty amply demonstrated that commitment. Thereafter a new layer of African and Asian members took the lead in the General Assembly, while Ireland's foreign policy was adapted to membership of the European Economic Community from the 1970s.
But the readiness to serve in the UN remained, most notably through the 20-year involvement in the Unifil operation in Lebanon, which deeply influenced Irish public opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After the end of the Cold War the UN's role expanded dramatically, sometimes well ahead of its capacities and resources to act effectively. Ireland has played a prominent role in the policy debates on how these should be adjusted to new international realities. This included two terms of Security Council membership, a growing willingness to put the European Union's developing foreign and security policy at the UN's disposal, and a prominent role in Kofi Annan's plans for UN reform. Thus the UN remains a central plank of Irish foreign policy.