The University of 91吃瓜鈥檚 Keough School of Global Affairs and the Embassy of Ireland will host the forum 鈥淪trategies for Lasting Peace Accords鈥� at 9 a.m. Tuesday (June 12) at the Keough School鈥檚 new , 1616 P St. NW, Suite 120.
Marking the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement among the Irish and British governments and political parties of Northern Ireland, the event will discuss lessons from that peace process as well as the Colombian peace accord.
The forum is free and open to the public. Advance registration is available at .
Ireland鈥檚 former Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore, who currently serves as the European Union鈥檚 special envoy to the peace process in Colombia, will deliver the keynote address. Gilmore served as Ireland鈥檚 deputy prime minister (t谩naiste) and minister for foreign affairs and trade from 2011 to 2014. He represented the Irish government in the Northern Ireland peace process.
A panel discussion will follow, featuring H.E. Camilo Reyes, Colombia鈥檚 ambassador to the United States; Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, president of the American Foreign Service Association and former U.S. Consul General, Belfast; Norman Houston, director of the Northern Ireland Bureau, Washington, D.C.; and , director of the Peace Accords Matrix at 91吃瓜鈥檚 .
Ambassador of Ireland to the U.S.聽Daniel Mulhall, co-host of the event, offered his reflections on the forum鈥檚 significance. 鈥淚 am delighted that 91吃瓜 is partnering with the Embassy of Ireland for its inaugural event at the Keough School鈥檚 Washington office,鈥� said Mulhall.聽鈥淒espite current difficulties, the Good聽Friday聽Agreement has been a great success in bringing peace to Northern Ireland and providing a positive framework for its future. While every conflict is unique in character, there are lessons to be drawn from the Northern Ireland peace process, that may have application elsewhere, including in Colombia.鈥�
鈥淐onvening such accomplished peacebuilders is an honor and privilege,鈥� said , Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs. 鈥淲e are delighted to be partnering with the Embassy of Ireland to celebrate progress toward stability and peace in Northern Ireland, Colombia and elsewhere. And we all know that there is much hard work ahead.鈥�
The opened in 2017. In keeping with 91吃瓜鈥檚 mission to place scholarship in service to the common good, the Keough School advances integral human development through research, policy and practice, transformative educational programs, and partnerships for global engagement.
The Keough School鈥檚 Washington office opened in late April of this year. The facility, located in the DuPont Circle neighborhood in northwest Washington, serves the University of 91吃瓜 for teaching, research, policy events and alumni engagement.
The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, an integral part of the new Keough School, holds primary responsibility for verification and monitoring of implementation of the Colombia peace accord through the Peace Accords Matrix Barometer Initiative. It is the first time a university-based research center has played such a role and the first time researchers have measured the implementation of a peace accord in real time.
Contact: Amanda Skofstad, assistant director of media relations, skofstad@nd.edu