IIEA Talks

On the 2 November 2022, the Ethiopian government and forces from the Tigray region agreed to end two years of a devastating conflict, following talks mediated by the African Union. This conflict has been catastrophic for Ethiopian civilians with thousands killed from direct attacks, starvation, and lack of access to humanitarian assistance. Following her participation in the mediation of the landmark Ethiopian truce agreement, Ms Hanna Tetteh discusses her role in this breakthrough of one of the deadliest conflicts seen in recent years. Ms Tetteh offers insights into negotiations, into the importance of full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace-making and will the implications of this agreement for Ethiopia and for the Horn of Africa. About the Speaker: Ms. Hanna Serwaa Tetteh was appointed Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to the Horn of Africa (OSE-HoA) on 1 April 2022. Prior to this, she served as Special Representative of the Secretary General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU). She also served as Director-General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON). Ms. Tetteh has held a variety of senior level government positions having served previously as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana. Ms. Tetteh was previously involved in high level mediation activities when she was appointed Co-Facilitator in the High-Level Forum for the Revitalisation of the Agreement for the resolution of the conflict in South Sudan (2017-2018).

In his address to the IIEA for the sixth lecture of the 2022 Development Matters series supported by Irish Aid, Minister Brophy discusses the grave food crisis affecting the Horn of Africa. Across the Horn of Africa, over 36 million people will be affected by the most prolonged and severe drought in recent history in the last months of 2022. Informed by his recent visit to the region, Minister Brophy discusses this crisis, its causes and the response by Ireland and the international community. He highlights the drivers of the crisis, including climate change, conflict, and unsustainable food systems. Minister Brophy also reflects on the political, security and development challenges facing a range of countries from the Horn to the Sahel.  About the Speaker:  Colm Brophy was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora on July 1st, 2020. He is a Fine Gael TD representing Dublin South-West. He was first elected to the Dáil in 2016. During the 32nd Dáil he served as Chairman of the Budgetary Oversight Committee which was established in 2016 to enhance the role of the Oireachtas in the budgetary formation process. He was also a Member of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality and the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. Member of South Dublin County Council 2008 – 2016. Colm is a former member of the Board of the Housing Finance Agency. Colm is also the former President of the Association of Irish Local Government.

Data flows play a central role in transatlantic trade but have given rise to legal controversies and challenges relating to privacy and data protection. In this event an expert panel assesses the implications of recent developments in this field and explores how any emerging new transatlantic data transfer framework can find a balance between protecting the data rights of European citizens while facilitating the economic value of data transfers. The possible strengths, challenges, weaknesses and business implications of any emerging new framework are also to be discussed.

In his address to the IIEA, Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, reflects on Ireland’s longstanding support for multilateralism, developed over 100 years of independence. In particular, he reflects on Ireland’s tenure as an elected member of the UN Security Council, from January 2021 to December 2022. He outlines Ireland’s achievements, discusses the main challenges faced and assesses the overall contribution that Ireland has made to the work of the Security Council. About the Speaker Simon Coveney TD is the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence. He is also the Deputy Leader of Fine Gael. He previously served as Tánaiste from 30 November, 2017 to 27 June, 2020, and Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government as well as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. He was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence on 27 June 2020. He represents the Cork South Central constituency.

In his address to the IIEA, Gabriel Makhlouf, Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, spoke about the path for monetary policy in the euro area in 2023 and beyond. He highlighted the range of incoming data that plays an important role for near term developments, as part of the ‘meeting-by-meeting’ approach to interest rate decisions. Governor Makhlouf then outlined his thoughts on some more medium-term factors that could influence inflation and monetary policy beyond 2023. About the Speaker: Gabriel Makhlouf took up his position as Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland on 1 September 2019. He chairs the Central Bank Commission, is a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank, a member of the European Systemic Risk Board, and is Ireland's Alternate Governor at the International Monetary Fund. Before joining the Central Bank, Governor Makhlouf was Secretary to the New Zealand Treasury and the Government's chief economic and financial adviser from 2011 to 2019. During his time as Secretary, he led reviews of New Zealand's three macroeconomic pillars (monetary, financial stability and fiscal policy) and the development of a new framework for the development of economic and public policy focused on intergenerational wellbeing. In addition, Governor Makhlouf was New Zealand's Alternate Governor at the World Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He was also co-chair of the Trans-Tasman Banking Council.

Following recent elections in Sweden and Italy, and against the broader backdrop of gains for the parties of Marine Le Pen and Viktor Orbán in 2022 elections in France and Hungary respectively, Naomi O’Leary, Europe Correspondent of The Irish Times, discusses whether Europe’s voters are shifting to the extreme right. She considers what takeaways there could be for Irish citizens and policymakers who are interested in bolstering support for liberal democracy. About the Speaker: Naomi O’Leary is Europe Correspondent for the Irish Times and creator of The Irish Passport podcast with Tim McInerney. A regular TV and radio contributor who has reported from around the European continent, Naomi is a former correspondent of POLITICO Europe, Reuters in Rome, and Agence France-Presse in London. She was awarded Political Journalist of the Year 2021 by Newsbrands, Ireland’s newspaper industry awards.

In the tenth podcast episode of IIEA Insights, IIEA Director General David O’Sullivan sits down with Constanze Stelzenmüller, Director of the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings to discuss the latest in German and US politics, as well as what’s at stake for Europe and NATO with China becoming increasingly influential across the globe. They break down the current situation in Ukraine, the recent midterm elections & the future of the transatlantic relationship.

In the ninth episode of IIEA Insights, Dan O’Brien, IIEA Chief Economist, Edward Luce, US national editor and columnist at the Financial Times. They discuss whether American politics could be stabilising or becoming ever more polarized. Luce also assesses the implications for the US’s foreign policy posture, including on European security and rivalry with China.

This event, supported by Janssen Sciences Ireland, features a keynote address by the acting Deputy Director-General for Health at the European Commission, Mr John F. Ryan. This is followed by a panel discussion that looks at the future of the European Health Union before a moderated Q&A session. This expert panel explores what the new Health Union could mean for Ireland, how the health service in Ireland performs compared to European peers, and what lessons could be learned from the best performing European countries. The panel is comprised of: Professor Mary Horgan - President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and world-renowned expert in infectious disease Mr Tony O’Brien – Former Director-General of the Health Service Executive Dr Sheelah Connolly - Senior Research Officer at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) Professor Paul Browne – Professor/Consultant Haematologist at St. James's Hospital. The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the EU’s COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy in particular, has shown the capacity for the EU institutions to facilitate effective coordination among European countries to protect the health of the European citizenry. Building on these experiences, the European Commission is in the process of establishing an ambitious European Health Union, in which all EU countries can prepare and respond together more effectively to health crises when they emerge. The European Health Union will seek to ensure that medical supplies remain available, affordable, and innovative to all EU citizens, and that European countries can work together to improve prevention, treatment, and aftercare for diseases such as cancer. This presents an important new departure in EU policy which may have major implications for domestic healthcare across the EU. About the Speakers: John F. Ryan, Acting Deputy Director-General for Health, DG SANTE at the European Commission. Professor Mary Horgan, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. Mr Tony O’Brien, Former Director-General at the Health Service Executive. Dr Sheelah Connolly, Senior Research Officer at the Economic and Social Research Institute. Professor Paul Browne, Professor/Consultant Hematologist at St. James’s Hospital.

This panel discussion reflects on Ireland’s six-month Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which ended on the 7th November 2022. Speakers: Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Bjørn Berge. Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, Head of Ireland’s Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Professor Aoife Nolan, an Irish independent expert to the Council of Europe's European Committee of Social Rights