Kilkenny veteran soldier lauded by United Nations
Company Sergeant Bernard Donovan from Co Kilkenny, who served with the EU-led Chad mission, was one of the thousands of Irish peacekeepers lauded by the United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon during his recent visit to Ireland.
During his visit to McKee Barracks in Dublin, Mr Ban expressed his appreciation of the Irish Defence Forces’ contributions to peacekeeping for more than half a century. He said that Ireland has been “an exemplary member of the United Nations over many years”.
Speaking after meeting Ban Ki-moon, Kilkenny man Company Sergeant Bernard Donovan said: “In February I returned from an EU-led mission to Chad where I served as company sergeant for the 98th Battalion. It was very nice to get the opportunity to meet Ban Ki-moon, UN general secretary after 32 and half years of service with the Irish Defence Forces and prior to my retirement in September”.
More than 1,600 women and men of the Irish Defence Forces have participated in conflict prevention and crisis management missions led by the European Union under United Nations mandate. The most important of these was the EU operation in Chad and the Central African Republic, which was recently successfully concluded when it handed over responsibility to a UN-commanded operation, MINURCAT. Irish personnel continue to serve with other EU missions, such as Althea in Bosnia and Atalanta, the anti-piracy operation off Somalia.
Everything the EU has done in the field of security has been linked to advancing UN objectives. More information on Ireland’s contribution to EU peacekeeping missions can be found at www.eumatters.ie
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