GTGC x Irish Embassy: Small States and Public Diplomacy, Lessons from Ireland’s Security Council Campaign
On 30 January, GTGC hosted a special event together with the Embassy of Ireland. As part of his visit to the Netherlands, John Concannon, Director General of the Global Ireland Unit of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, came to the university to engage in a discussion about Ireland's role in international diplomacy. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Alanna O'Malley and involved Ambassador Brendan Rogers, focussing in particular on Ireland's activities in the United Nations and in public diplomacy.
A Background to the Discussion
As recent international events aptly demonstrate, the role of small and middle powers has reached a crescendo in the international system and the value of public diplomacy has perhaps never been higher. Through a discussion with the architects of Ireland’s successful campaign to join the United Nations Security Council in 2020, this event will explore the question of how important public diplomacy is in shaping international relations, what role small and middle powers can play in the international system, and how the UN might usefully be reformed to respond more effectively to humanity’s greatest challenges.
Organisation
This event is organised jointly by the MA International Relations Program, Faculty of Humanities, and the Global Transformations and Governance Challenges (GTGC) programme, in collaboration with the Embassy of Ireland.