Empathy, Partnership and Independence in Ireland’s Humanitarian Policy: Launch of the Compendium of Lectures of the Ireland at Fordham Humanitarian Lecture Series

NEW YORK, NY [June 9, 2020] — Fordham University’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations, is unveiling the compendium of the lecture series, entitled “A Skein of Thought: The Ireland At Fordham Humanitarian Lecture Series” at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, June 12th through a public virtual event. Register in advance for this meeting here.

The series will first be published as an eBook, with print to follow in the near future.

Accompanying the book’s release, the IIHA and the Permanent Mission of Ireland will be hosting a panel discussion,providing an opportunity to reflect upon the broad ranging challenges facing the humanitarian space today and how these issues may be addressed by the United Nations and its Member States. The panel will include the following distinguished speakers: Richard Blewitt, Permanent Observer for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); Rena Ghelani, Director of Operations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); H.E. Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi, Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the United Nations; and D.G. Ruarí de Búrca, Director General of Irish Aid.

Panelists will respond to the final lecture of the Ireland at Fordham Humanitarian Lecture Seriesby Tánaiste Simon Coveney TD, which will be available for viewingon Thursday June 11th. The panel discussion will be followed by an interactive Q&A session and we invite all to post questions to the panelists.

This lineup of humanitarian leaders binds the book to the contemporary world and asks audiences to dissect their humanitarian efforts to create better strategies. The IIHA and Permanent Mission of Ireland encourage anyone to attend.

For more information and registration for the event, click here.

The role of the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN is to promote Ireland’s foreign policy interests and values at the UN and, through the UN, to promote effective international action on a range of global issues. The team, led by Ireland’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, works to represent Ireland and to ensure that Ireland’s voice is heard in the global forum in order to make a difference where it matters. Ireland has kept faith with the UN since joining in 1955 as a young Republic and continues to consider membership of the UN as a fundamental pillar of Irish foreign policy and to global peace and security.

The Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA) prepares current and future aid workers with the knowledge and skills needed to respond effectively in times of humanitarian crisis and disaster. Our courses are borne of an interdisciplinary curriculum that combines academic theory with the practical experience of seasoned humanitarian professionals. The IIHA also publishes on a wide range of humanitarian topics and regularly hosts a number of events in the New York area, including the annual Humanitarian Blockchain Summit and Design for Humanity Summit.

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition across nine schools. Fordham awards baccalaureate, graduate, and professional degrees to approximately 15,000 students from Fordham College at Rose Hill, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, the Gabelli School of Business (undergraduate and graduate), the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, the Graduate Schools of Arts and Sciences, Education, Religion and Religious Education, and Social Service, and the School of Law. The University has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom.

To read, watch and listen to the series, click here.