UCC Defence Forces Lecture Series ‘Ireland’s UN Security Council term 2021-2022’ by Ambassador Sonja Hyland

12 Jan 2021

The next lecture in the UCC-Defence Forces Lecture Series will be on ‘Ireland’s UN Security Council term 2021-2022’ by Ambassador Sonja Hyland, Political Director, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dublin. The lecture will take place on-line on Thurs 4^th February, 6.30-8.00 (Irish/UK time) via this link. (PLEASE NOTE: due to unavoidable circumstances, this is a change from the previously advertised date of 28^th January).

Ireland will be a member of the UN Security Council for the 2021/2022 term. Support for the United Nations is a cornerstone of Irish foreign policy. Over the coming two years, Ireland will have the opportunity to make a contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security. The agenda of the Security Council is broad, covering over thirty country-specific issues, including some long established conflicts and peace processes, and over twenty thematic agenda items. As a member, Ireland will engage actively across the full agenda of the Council’s work on the basis of three principles: Building Peace, Strengthening Conflict Prevention, and Ensuring Accountability.

Ambassador Sonja Hyland is a career diplomat and is Political Director at Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She joined DFAT in 1996 and served in Stockholm, Brussels and Madrid, as well as in Development Cooperation Division, Political Division and Corporate Services Division at HQ. She was appointed as Ambassador to Mexico in 2013 (also accredited to Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru) and as Ambassador to Ethiopia in 2017 (also accredited to the African Union, IGAD, South Sudan and Djibouti). She took up duty as Political Director in August 2019.

The UCC-Defence Forces Lecture Series aims to contribute to informed public debate on contemporary global security challenges, how such problems may impact on Ireland and how Ireland can contribute to addressing regional and global security threats. The lecture series is jointly organised by the Defence Forces and UCC’s Colleges of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences and Business and Law.

Lecture details:

• ‘Ireland’s UN Security Council term 2021-2022’
• Ambassador Sonja Hyland, Political Director, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dublin
• Thurs 4^th February 2021, 18.30-20.00 (Irish/UK time)
• On-line via this link (- no registration or log-in is required, but we kindly request that you go to link shortly before the start time of 18.30).
• The lecture will also be recorded so that people may view it later if they wish.

Next lecture in the UCC-Defence Forces Lecture Series:

• ‘The Irish Naval Service’, Captain Brian FitzGerald, Officer Commanding Naval Operations Command & 2IC Irish Naval Service, Thursday 25th February 2021, 18.30-20.00 (Irish/UK time). 

For more on this story contact:

Prof. Andrew Cottey

Jean Monnet Chair in European Political Integration

Senior Lecturer

Department of Government and Politics

University College Cork