IIEA Talks

At this, the next event of the IIEA YPN, Dr Patricia Scanlon, Ireland’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ambassador, and Founder and Executive Chair of SoapBox Labs, considers the future of AI and its implications for our economies and societies. Dr Scanlon discusses the challenges and opportunities of AI in the fields of education, healthcare, and climate, noting that the biggest challenge with AI is bias, both algorithmic and societal.

Ahead of the US Presidential Election, a new European Commission, European Parliament and President of the European Council, as well as the potential election of a Labour-led Government in the UK, a panel of experts looks ahead to the 2024 political year in the US, the EU, and the UK respectively. The panel also considers how each jurisdiction’s political landscape is likely to impact its place in the world in what is set to be a defining year for international affairs. Speakers at this event will include: Caitríona Perry, Chief Presenter, BBC News Washington Bobby McDonagh, Ambassador of Ireland to the United Kingdom (2009-2013), Columnist for The Irish Times Dylan Casey Marshall, Researcher, EU Affairs, The Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA)

In her remarks to the IIEA, Dr Emmanuelle Schon-Quinlivan reflects on France's 2023, and discuss possibilities for 2024. She reflects on President Macron's second term, the challenges posed by civil unrest in France, and the country’s experience with migration. Looking to 2024, Dr Schon-Quinlivan discusses France's preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, France's European Parliamentary elections as well as the possibility of a referendum on EU enlargement. About the Speaker: Dr Emmanuelle Schon-Quinlivan is a lecturer in European politics in the Department of Government, UCC. She was awarded a Jean Monnet Chair in Active European Citizenship in 2021 and a Jean Monnet Teacher Training grant, one of only 20 Europe-wide, in 2022. She teaches European policy-making and institutional politics as well as French politics. She is the Director of UCC's Hub in Active European Citizenship.

The single market is at the heart of the EU economy and is the foundation upon which many of the EU’s economic objectives are built. Yet the EU’s efforts to meaningfully deepen, reinvigorate and adapt the Single Market in recent years have, at times, fallen short of those lofty ambitions. Enrico Letta was recently tasked by the European Council with a report on the future of the Single Market, and as part of this work has undertaken fact-finding missions to the Member State capitals. At this IIEA event he will provide insights from his work to-date and provide a perspective on what the future of the Single Market might look like ahead of the publication of his findings in 2024. The event opens with a keynote address by Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister of Italy. A panel discussion follows, featuring contributions from Brigid Laffan, Chancellor of the University of Limerick; and Russell Grandinetti, Senior Vice President for International Stores at Amazon, whose business model encompasses the worlds of both physical and digital commerce. The event is chaired by Dan O’Brien, IIEA Chief Economist.

In his address to the IIEA, Paul Cunningham talks about his experience of reporting from Israel, which was under rocket attack by Hamas, and from within a few kilometers of Gaza rather than from that conflict zone. He outlines the difficulties this presents in getting to the truth and informing the audiences. In contrast to wars which he covered in Bosnia Hercegovina and Darfur, this war is being played out in real-time on social media platforms which can both inform and confuse. Paul also gives his analysis of the likely course of the conflict and on the Irish government's developing position. About the Speaker: Paul Cunningham is a Political Correspondent for RTÉ News. Previously he was Europe Correspondent, based in Brussels, and Environment Correspondent. Paul has reported from more than 50 countries around the world, including from war zones and natural disasters. A documentary-maker and author, he has won multiple awards for his work. In 2023, he has reported from Ukraine, Israel, and the West Bank. He is married, has 3 children, and lives in Dublin.

The third and final seminar of the IIEA’s inaugural disability programme will celebrate the recent International Day for Persons with Disabilities (3 December) by discussing the theme "United in action to rescue and achieve the SDGs for, with and by persons with disabilities". It will hear from Dr James Casey, Independent Living Movement, Ireland, a disabled persons' organisation (DPO) on the barriers and enablers that exist to achieving full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and how disabled people can be better supported to contribute to the process. About the Speaker: Dr James Casey currently works for ILMI as a policy advisor. He previously worked on the Onside Project. He holds a PhD in Critical Disability Studies from the University of Galway where he was the recipient of a Doctoral Teaching Fellowship. He is a disabled person and has worked as a lecturer, disability equality consultant and communications worker in addition to his continued role as a peer reviewer with several international journals.

In 2013, William D. Nordhaus, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, published his acclaimed book The Climate Casino. In the book, Professor Nordhaus argued that the world had entered the climate casino and was rolling the global warming dice in the absence of effective policies to tackle climate change. A decade on from the book’s release, and following his important recent research on the 'climate club' and the release of his 2021 book, The Spirit of Green, Professor Nordhaus considers whether the world still has an opportunity to exit the climate casino and implement policies that will reverse the tide of global warming. This lecture forms part of the Environmental Resilience lecture series, which is co-organised by the IIEA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). About the Speaker: William Nordhaus is Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. His major work focuses on the economics of climate change, developing models that integrated the science, economics, and policies necessary to slow warming. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2018 "for integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis." From 1977 to 1979, Professor Nordhaus served as a Member of President Carter's Council of Economic Advisers. From 1986 to 1988, he served as the Provost of Yale University and was President of the American Economic Association from 2015 to 2016. Professor Nordhaus completed his undergraduate work at Yale University in 1963 and received his Ph.D. in Economics in 1967 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The next address of the IIEA's Development Matters series, which is supported by Irish Aid, will be given by Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). In her speech, entitled Polyglobalisation: Debt, Trade and Geopolitics, she explores the links between development and trade and the place of developing countries in the complex world of international trade. Against the background of geopolitical shifts and competing visions of multilateralism, she explains the important role of UNCTAD in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and in amplifying the voices of least developed countries in multilateral fora. She also discusses reform of the international financial architecture which is urgently needed to ensure that the debt crisis does not become a development crisis. About the Speaker: Rebeca Grynspan is an economist and politician from Costa Rica who has been the Secretary General of UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) since 2021. As the Secretary General of UNCTAD, Ms Grynspan has focused the world’s attention on relevant issues such as the reduction of inequality and poverty, gender equality, South–South cooperation as a tool for development and achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the need for international financial architectural reform. She is also coordinator of the task team of the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance, set up by the United Nations Secretary-General to help support developed and developing countries face the economic shocks related to the war in Ukraine. Additionally, she is currently a member of the Group of 20 High-level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Prior to her appointment at UNCTAD, she was the Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Conference from 2014 to 2021. She is also a former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as well as former Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to joining the United Nations, she served as Vice-President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998.

According to Derek Scally, 2023 was an eventful year in German politics with almost constant infighting between the parties in the incumbent coalition government, the introduction of the country's first National Security Strategy against the backdrop of escalating conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, several important state elections, the rapid rise of the Alternative für Deutschland, the official exit of Sahra Wagenknecht from Die Linke to form a new party, and a bombshell constitutional court ruling that has endangered the coalition’s fiscal and political foundations. In his address to the IIEA, Derek Scally breaks down the major events that took place in Berlin this past year as well as what to expect in 2024. About the Speaker: Derek Scally is a native Dubliner, who studied at Dublin City University and Humboldt University in Berlin. He has been Irish Times correspondent in Berlin since 2001. Covering politics, business and culture, he is a regular contributor to German news outlets, including Die Zeit weekly and Deutschlandfunk/WDR radio. He reports regularly from northern and central Europe and is also author of “The Best Catholics in the World”, published by Penguin.

In this IIEA webinar, hosted live from COP28 in Dubai, Alex White, Director General of the IIEA, and a panel of experts assess the progress of COP28 towards achieving global climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives. With the Summit due to conclude on 12 December, Mr White and the panel assess the state of play of ongoing discussions and negotiations, and if the Summit is likely to be successful in keeping hopes of a 1.5 degrees Celsius limit to global warming alive. About the Speaker: Alex White is the Director General of the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), and a Senior Counsel at the Irish Bar. He was a TD from 2011 to 2016, during which time he held the positions of Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources (2014 – 2016), Minister for Primary Care (2012 – 2014) and Committee Chair of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure & Reform (2011 – 2012). Prior to serving as a TD, Alex was a member of Seanad Eireann (2007 – 2011), a councillor with South Dublin County Council (2004 – 2007) and a radio producer with RTÉ (1984 – 1994). He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and of the King’s Inns.