IIEA Talks

The political landscape across the island of Ireland has been changing over the past decade. Demographic changes, Brexit, polling data, and the realignment of traditional politics in the Oireachtas all point to the need to prepare for the increasing inevitability of substantial constitutional change in the future. Dialogue around the potential for a United Ireland has become more prevalent, particularly in Northern Ireland. In his address to the IIEA, Senator Conor Murphy discusses how this now requires more structured formal planning involving the Irish Government to ensure the necessary preparations are in place for a smooth transition in the event of constitutional change. Speaker bio: Conor Murphy was appointed as Sinn Féin Leader of the Seanad in February 2025. In 1998, after serving as a Newry and Mourne councillor for eight years, he was elected to the Assembly where he chaired the Assembly Committee, was the Party Chief Whip, and also held the position of Group Leader of the Sinn Féin MLAs. In 2005, Senator Murphy became the first Irish Republican to be elected as MP for Newry and Armagh, he then retained the seat in 2010. In 2007, Conor was appointed the Minister for Regional Development, a position that he held until 2011. In 2012, as part of Sinn Féin’s commitment to ending double-jobbing, he left the Assembly to concentrate on his role as an MP.

Violence against women and girls is a persistent and escalating crisis and remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations worldwide. From femicide and domestic abuse to online harassment and conflict-related sexual violence, the scale and severity of gender-based violence continues to deepen across every region. Despite international commitments to gender equality, many legal frameworks are still insufficient, impunity persists, and survivors are too often met with stigma rather than support. In her address to the IIEA, Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, explores global trends in the fight to end such violence, highlighting both promising practices and persistent gaps. About the Speaker: Ms. Reem Alsalem was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences in July 2021 by the UN Human Rights Council. She is an independent consultant on gender issues, the rights of refugees and migrants, transitional justice, and humanitarian response. She has consulted extensively for United Nations departments, agencies, and programmes such as UN-Women, OHCHR, UNICEF, and IOM, as well as for non-governmental organisations, think tanks, and academia. Previously, she worked as an international civil servant, serving with the UNHCR in thirteen countries. During her service, she planned, implemented, and monitored programmes that served to protect persons that were survivors of gender-based violence, particularly women and girls. She was also a visiting professional with the Prosecutor’s Office of the ICC from January to March 2009 and a visiting Researcher with the Feinstein International Centre of Tufts University in December 2008. She holds a Master’s in International Relations from the American University in Cairo and a Masters in Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford.

The European Green Deal was launched in 2019 to make Europe the world’s first climate neutral and resilient economy, and to decouple economic growth from resource use. Six years later, the ambition has become even more important for Europe, and for the world, but the global context has considerably changed. In his address to the IIEA, Director General Vandenberghe explains the relevance of the Green Deal and how it will be taken forward, in Europe and internationally, amid rapidly changing and increasingly volatile global circumstances. This event is part of the IIEA’s REthink Energy series, organised in partnership with ESB. Speaker bio: Kurt Vandenberghe was appointed Director General of DG CLIMA in January 2023. From December 2019 to January 2023, he was the Green Deal and Health Advisor to President Ursula von der Leyen. Previously, he was Acting Director for Research & Innovation Outreach, Director for Policy & Programming, and Director for Climate action and resource efficiency at DG Research and Innovation. He also served in the Cabinet of Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin (1999-2004), and as Head of the Cabinet of Janez Potočnik, who was Commissioner for Research and Innovation (2004-2009) and subsequently for Environment (from 2010). Mr Vandenburghe joined the European Commission in 1996 as co-ordinator of the Commission’s Intermodal Transport Task Force and of the Transport Research Programme. Before entering the Commission, Mr Vandenberghe worked as a manager at Ernst & Young Association Management, where he set up, managed and represented international trade associations. He holds a degree in French and Italian literature from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL), a degree in Public and International Affairs from the University Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL), and a MA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Government attention to the security and resilience of subsea telecommunications cables has intensified in recent years. While largely owned and operated by private companies, a growing number of states now qualify or designate the systems as critical, if not strategic infrastructure, the security and resilience of which are vital to economic and societal well-being, national security and much else. In her address to the IIEA, Dr Camino Kavanagh discusses government efforts to protect the infrastructure in the current geopolitical context, examining how such efforts - and the different challenges that emerge - contribute to the global telecommunications systems’ core resilience capacities. About the Speaker: Dr. Camino Kavanagh is a Senior Fellow with the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and a Visiting Senior Fellow with the Dept. of War Studies, King’s College London. Her current research focuses on international security, conflict and technology as well as emerging issues relevant to critical subsea infrastructure. Camino is also Senior Digital Advisor to the UN Department of Political Affairs’ Policy and Mediation Division. She served as advisor/rapporteur to the 2019-2021 and 2016-2017 UN negotiating processes on cyber/ICT and international security (UNGGE and UNOEWG). Over the past decade she has also advised and consulted with the UN Secretary-General’s office, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the European Commission, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Organization of American States, as well as with government departments and agencies on issues pertaining to national/international security, conflict and diplomacy. Prior to this, Camino spent over a decade working in conflict and post-conflict contexts, including with UN peacekeeping operations and political missions.

'The Global Impact of US Economic Policies' The international economic policies of the United States have shifted dramatically since the inauguration of Donald Trump as president at the end of January. Thus far, the most impactful have been a series of historically large tariff announcements on most countries in the world. Former US Treasury Economist, Brad Setser examines these policy changes and their implications for the US economy, global trade and investment flows, financial markets, and the role of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. He also discusses his work on US corporate tax strategies. Brad Setser is the Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr Setser served as a Senior Advisor to the United States Trade Representative from 2021 to 2022, where he worked on the resolution of a number of trade disputes. He had previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Economic Analysis in the U.S. Treasury from 2011 to 2015, and as a Director for International Economics on the staff of the National Economic Council and the National Security Council. He has published widely, including co-authoring, with Nouriel Roubini, Bailouts and Bail-ins: Responding to Financial Crises in Emerging Economies, and has contributed to publications such as Foreign Affairs, Finance and Development and Global Governance. He regularly blogs at Follow the Money.

Enhancing peace and security cooperation is a key pillar of the EU-Africa partnership, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025. In the second address of the 2025 Development Matters lecture series, which is kindly supported by Irish Aid, Mr Johan Borgstam, EU Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, presents his assessment of the situation in the region based on his recent visits and focus on the EU's engagement in support of peace, stability, and security in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mr Borgstam is a Swedish diplomat with extensive national and EU experience, which includes serving as the Head of the EU Delegation to Ethiopia and ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Greece. He was appointed the EUSR for the Great Lakes Region on 1 September 2024. In this role, he supports the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs in implementing the EU’s foreign policy objectives in the Great Lakes Region. His mission is to contribute to building a stronger, more comprehensive, and more strategic partnership with the countries in the region, maintaining close contact with key regional organisations and fora, such as the African Union and the East African Community, as well as the United Nations, the International Financial Institutions, and non-state actors when relevant. It is the second lecture of the 2025 Development Matters series, which is kindly sponsored by Irish Aid.

Europe finds itself in a new geopolitical reality. While Russia's continues its war of aggression against Ukraine and threatens to advance on Europe's Eastern Flank, the transatlantic relationship is undergoing a period of change. Since the United States signalled that Europe will need to do more for its own defence, European capitals have been attempting to recalibrate to a new reality where there is less certainty of US commitment to the security of Europe. In her remarks to the IIEA, Judy Dempsey discusses the challenges which Europe faces in this new geopolitical moment, and whether we will be able to adapt to meet this new reality. About the speaker: Judy Dempsey is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie Europe. She was the editor in chief of the Strategic Europe blog from 2012 to 2024. Dempsey is also the author of the book The Merkel Phenomenon. She worked for the International Herald Tribune from 2004 to 2011 as its Germany and East European Correspondent and from 2011 to September 2013 as columnist. Dempsey was the diplomatic correspondent for the Financial Times in Brussels from 2001 onward, covering NATO and European Union enlargement. Between 1990 and 2001, she served as Jerusalem bureau chief, Berlin correspondent, and Eastern European correspondent in London (1990–1992) for the Financial Times. During the 1980s, Dempsey reported on Central and Eastern Europe for the Financial Times, the Irish Times, and the Economist.

'Trump, Tariffs, and The Future of Transatlantic Trade' The US is scheduled to announce another round of wide-ranging tariffs, including on the EU, on Wednesday, 2 April. This edition of IIEA Insights takes place the following day and assesses the measures and their likely impact on Ireland, the EU, and the transatlantic economy. Panellists also discuss the sectoral impact of the announced tariffs and what retaliatory measures the EU and others have already taken or might take in the following days and weeks. Joining the discussion are: Tom McDonnell, Co-Director of the Nevin Economic Research Institute; Allie Renison, an Associate Director at consultancy firm SEC Newgate UK; and Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive and Chief Economist at the European Policy Centre.

Full presentation Title: Constitutional Change and the Rise of Fiscal Discipline in Europe: Ripple Effects on Fundamental Social Rights In March 2025, the ReArm Europe plan brought EU fiscal discipline and rules back into the spotlight of EU policymaking. In her address to the IIEA, Dr Kotsoni explores how, following the eurozone crisis, several EU Member States adopted constitutional fiscal rules – both formally and, as she will argue, informally. In her presentation, Dr Kotsoni examines how the constitutionalisation of fiscal rules has had lasting effects beyond the eurozone crisis and reflects upon its ongoing limiting impact on fundamental social rights in Europe. About the Speaker: Dr Maria Kotsoni is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Princeton University. Her research focuses on the protection of social rights at constitutional, European, and international levels. Maria obtained her PhD from the European University Institute and is a consultant to the Council of Europe’s Department of Social Rights.

In his address to the IIEA, Mike Nesbitt, Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, explores how the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, signed on 10 April 1998, saw an all-time peak of hope for the future of the people of Northern Ireland and, by association, Northern Ireland’s neighbours in the Republic of Ireland and in Great Britain. According to Mr Nesbitt, it is one thing to obsess over how that hope has waned, or who is responsible; it is another to deliver a vision to restore that hope. In his address, Mr Nesbitt will posit why he believes delivering a Prosperity Agenda has become a common cause for all of Northern Ireland's political parties, whatever their constitutional preference. Mr Nesbitt discusses how tackling health inequalities in his role as Minister for Health is part of the Prosperity Agenda, and how such health inequalities are, in fact, social inequalities, requiring a whole Executive response. Mr Nesbitt explains how he is leading with a clear target of lowering the disparities in healthy living predictions, as the most deprived areas of Belfast show a 14.2-year gap in life expectancy when compared to those in areas of least deprivation, a figure that Mr Nesbitt is determined to change. About the speaker: Mike Nesbitt is the Minister of Health in the Northern Ireland Executive. He is also the Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, the only person to be elected to the position on two occasions, in 2012 and 2024. Mr Nesbitt is a four-time Member of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly for Strangford constituency. Previously, he was a broadcast journalist covering Northern Ireland’s Troubles and the consequent peace process. He was then appointed as a Commissioner for Victims & Survivors of the conflict before entering politics.