Advances in ending violence, promoting the rule of law, strengthening institutions and increasing access to justice are uneven and continue to deprive millions of their security, rights and opportunities. This lack of equity also undermines the delivery of public services and broader economic development while attacks on civil society are holding back development progress.

Our expert panel will be discussing the challenges posed by Goal 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, in the context of their own work and careers.

Speakers:

David Donoghue had a long and varied career in Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs. He was involved for many years in the Northern Ireland peace process, and one of the Irish Government's negotiating team for the ground-breaking Good Friday Agreement (1998). In addition to many other development, foreign policy and service posts overseas, from 2013-17 he was Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in New York. He served as co-facilitator for the UN negotiations which led to the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015.
Colin Scott is Professor of EU Regulation and Governance at in the School of Law at University College Dublin, where he also currently serves as Vice President for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Principal, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law. His research interests consider questions of the limits of regulatory governance, processes of accountability and non-state governance.
Dawn Walsh is an Assistant Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin. She is currently the lead researcher on an Irish Research Council funded project which examines the role of independent commissions, such as electoral and human rights commissions, in peace processes.
Sinéad Walsh is the EU Ambassador to South Sudan. She has worked for Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade since 2009. Prior to her current role, Sinéad served as the Ambassador of Ireland to Sierra Leone and Liberia and the Head of Irish Aid in the two countries, based in Freetown from 2011 to 2016. During this period she and her colleagues worked relentlessly to bring the humanitarian disaster of the Ebola crisis to global attention, and she has co-authored the book ‘Getting to Zero’ about this experience.
Chair: Patrick Paul Walsh is the Professor of International Development Studies in University College Dublin, Ireland. He also a Senior Advisor to the UN SDSN, New York and Chair of the Academic Steering Committee of the Global Association of Masters of Development Practice, based at the Earth Institute at Columbia University.

This seminar is organised by the UCD Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and the UCD School of Politics and International Relations as part of the UCD Sustainable Development Goal Seminar Series.