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Programme

Programme

April 17

Whitla Hall

Reflect

Day One of the conference includes three panel discussions with the architects of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 1998: the UK and Irish governments, local political leaders from 1998; and the Guarantors (former UK, Irish and US Administrations).
8.00am

Prayer Service

Venue: The Cube, One Elmwood

Cross Community Prayer Service and Breakfast organised by the Queen’s Chaplaincies (Catholic, Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian Chaplaincies, Queen's University Belfast)
9.30am

Conference Opening and Welcome

HOST
Andrea Catherwood
OPENING SPEECHES
Professor Ian Greer
President and Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast
Emma Murphy
Students' Union President, Queen’s University Belfast
Secretary Hillary R Clinton
The Chancellor, Queen's University Belfast

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Senator George J. Mitchell
Former US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland and Chair of the NI All Party Talks

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10.15am

Panel: Building Bridges - The Two Governments

CHAIR
Professor Mary McAleese
Former President of Ireland
PANEL
Paul Murphy
The Rt Hon The Lord Murphy of Torfaen, former Minister of State and former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Tim O'Connor
Former senior Irish Diplomat and former Secretary General to the President of Ireland
Liz O'Donnell
Former Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Irish Government
Jonathan Powell
Former Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of the UK
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11.45am

Lunch

Marquee in the Quadrangle
2.00pm

Panel 2: Building Peace - The Parties - In Memoriam

In memoriam
David Ervine
Former Leader, Progressive Unionist Party (PUP)
John Hume
Former Leader, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Seamus Mallon
Former deputy First Minister and former Leader, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Martin McGuinness
Former deputy First Minister, former Minister of Education, Sinn Féin
The Rt Hon Dr Mo Mowlam
Former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Rev Dr Ian Paisley
The Rev and the Rt Hon the Lord Bannside, former First Minister and former Leader, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP
David Trimble
The Rt Hon the Lord Trimble, former First Minister and former Leader, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
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2.05pm

Panel: Building Peace - The Parties

CHAIR
Ambassador Nancy Soderberg
Former Deputy National Security Advisor and former Ambassador at the United Nations
PANEL
SESSION 1
Gerry Adams
Former President, Sinn Féin
Mark Durkan
Former deputy First Minister and former Leader, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Reg Empey
The Lord Empey Kt OBE, former Leader, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Professor Monica McWilliams
Co-founder of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition
SESSION 2
John Alderdice
The Lord Alderdice, former Leader, Alliance Party
Gary McMichael
Former Leader, Ulster Democratic Party (UDP)
Ian Paisley Jnr MP
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
Dawn Purvis
Former Leader, Progressive Unionist Party (PUP)
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3.10pm

Panel: Guaranteeing Peace - The Guarantors

CHAIR
Secretary Hillary R. Clinton
Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast, former Secretary of State and former Senator
PANEL
Professor Bertie Ahern
Former Taoiseach of Ireland
Sir Tony Blair
Former Prime Minister of the UK and Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute
President William J. Clinton
Former President of the United States
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4:30pm

Close

April 18

Whitla Hall

Renew

Day Two of the conference will open with keynote addresses from senior government figures and other leaders followed by a recording of 'The Rest is Politics' podcast.

The afternoon will be dedicated to a number of academic panel sessions delivered by The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen's University. These panels will discuss themes including Rights and Social Justice, Peacebuilding, Legacy, The Dynamics of Peace and Conflict, and The Impact on Victims.
9.00am

Welcome and Housekeeping

HOST
Donie O'Sullivan
INTRODUCTION
Professor Ian Greer
President and Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast

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9:10am

Video Address

General António Guterres
United Nations Secretary-General

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9:15am

Address

The Rt Hon Chris Heaton-Harris MP
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Micheál Martin TD
Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence

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9:45am

Panel: The Parties in Conversation

CHAIR
Mark Simpson
Broadcast Journalist
PANEL
Doug Beattie MLA
Leader, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
Naomi Long MLA
Leader, Alliance Party
Mary Lou McDonald TD
President, Sinn Féin
Colum Eastwood MP
Leader, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Emma Little-Pengelly MLA
Former Junior Minister, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

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10.45am

Address

Jamie-Lukas Campbell, Queen’s University Students' Union Officer, introducing:

Ambassador Jane Hartley, US Ambassador to the UK

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10.55am

The Good Friday Agreement: A Template For Resolving Global Conflict

CHAIR
Ambassador Mitchell B. Reiss
Former US Special Envoy for the Northern Ireland Peace Process
PANEL
Dr Mary Robinson
Former President of Ireland and the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Congressman Richard E. Neal
Ranking Member of the US House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee
Maroš Šefčovič
European Commission Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight
Dr Amanda Sloat
Special Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for Europe, National Security Council

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12.15pm

The Rest is Politics Podcast

Recording of the Rest is Politics Live with Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart and Guests.

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1pm

Lunch

The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute - Panel Sessions
2.00pm

Mitchell Institute Panel: Rights and Social Justice

LOCATION
Queen’s Film Theatre
CHAIR
Professor Kieran McEvoy
Professor of Law and Transitional Justice at Queen’s University Belfast and Theme Lead at the Mitchell Institute
PANEL
Professor Christine Bell
Professor of Constitutional Law and Assistant Principal (Global Justice) at the University of Edinburgh, and Honorary Professor at the Mitchell Institute
Professor Colin Harvey
Professor of Human Rights Law at Queen’s University Belfast and Fellow at the Mitchell Institute
Professor Christopher McCrudden
Professor of Human Rights and Equality Law at Queen’s University Belfast and Fellow at the Mitchell Institute
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2.00pm

Mitchell Institute Panel: Peacebuilding

LOCATION
Emeleus Lecture Theatre
CHAIR
Professor Fiona Magowan
Professor of Anthropology at Queen’s University Belfast and Theme Lead at the Mitchell Institute
PANEL
Professor Dominic Bryan
Professor of Anthropology at Queen’s University Belfast and Fellow at the Mitchell Institute
Professor Gladys Ganiel
Professor in the Sociology of Religion at Queen’s University Belfast and Fellow at the Mitchell Institute
Professor Rory Montgomery
Former Irish Diplomat and Honorary Professor of Practice at the Mitchell Institute
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2.00pm

Mitchell Institute Panel: Legacy

LOCATION
Bell Lecture Theatre
CHAIR
Professor Louise Mallinder
Professor of Law at Queen’s University Belfast and Theme Lead at the Mitchell Institute
PANEL
Professor John Brewer
Professor of Post-Conflict Studies at Queen’s University Belfast and Fellow at the Mitchell Institute
Dr Anna Bryson
Senior Lecturer in Law at Queen’s University Belfast and Fellow at the Mitchell Institute
Professor Michael Maguire
Former Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland and Honorary Professor of Practice at the Mitchell Institute
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2:00pm

Mitchell Institute Panel: The Dynamics of Peace and Conflict

LOCATION
Larmor Lecture Theatre
CHAIR
Professor Richard English
Director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice
PANEL
Professor Chris Blattman
Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies, University of Chicago
Professor Roger Myerson
David L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies, University of Chicago
Dame Louise Richardson
President, Carnegie Corporation of New York

Professor Meyerson has made his planned remarks available here.

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2.00pm

Mitchell Institute Panel: The Impact on Victims

LOCATION
Larmor Lecture Theatre
CHAIR
Dr Cheryl Lawther
Queen’s University Belfast
PANEL
Paul Crawford
Member of The Victims and Survivors Forum
Paul Gallagher
Member of The Victims and Survivors Forum
Ian Jeffers
Commissioner for Victims and Survivors
Mary Moreland
Member of The Victims and Survivors Forum
Minty Thompson
Member of The Victims and Survivors Forum
Sam Wilson
Member of The Victims and Survivors Forum
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Collaborative Events
08.00am

Women in Business - International Voices of Leadership, in association with The Chief Executives' Club at Queen's

Women in Business will bring together a line-up of inspiring international speakers to explore the theme of Leadership – the importance of embracing inclusivity, making your voice heard and looking at the essential strategies to develop as an impactful leader.

View event details, list of speakers and register for a ticket
11.00am

Young Voices - Politics in Action

Politics in Action will bring over 200 young people from across the island and from different parts of our education system to Queen's University to present their ideas about what peace means to them.

View event details and full programme »

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1.30pm

Cancer Knows No Borders

PFC Lecture theatre

Theme: Health - How the Good Friday Agreement helped save thousands of lives on the island of Ireland and delivered international impact in cancer research and care.

Find out more about the event

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6.00pm

Victims' Voices

Film focusing on the stories of eight victims of the "Troubles " in Northern Ireland and England with no political or sectarian agenda.
7.00pm

Media in Conflict and Peace

Media event facilitated by Tara Mills and William Crawley.

A celebration of journalism and the role the media has played during The Troubles, through the peace process and through to the present day. Contributors will include journalists, editors, producers and political communications strategists.

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Watch the short film 'Media in Conflict and Peace'

A film by Paul McClintock in association with Queen's University Belfast.

Archive footage courtesy of BBC Archive, BBC NI, ITV, and NI Screen
7.30pm

The Seamus Heaney Centre Presents... Hope

The Mandela Hall, Ticketed Event

Join special guests Gary Lightbody, Lisa McGee and Tara Lynne O'Neill for an evening of conversation, readings and music.

Book a ticket for this event

April 19

Whitla Hall

Reimagine

Day Three will be hosted in association with the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils.

Northern Ireland Vision 2050 will focus on enhancing the economic prospects of Northern Ireland, and will include addresses from senior government officials and panel discussions with both local and global business leaders.
11:15am

Welcome and Introduction

HOST
Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast
INTRODUCTION
Professor Ian Greer
President and Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast

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11.30am

Opening Remarks

Dr Jayne Brady
Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service

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11.30am

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Congressman Joe Kennedy III
US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs

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11.45pm

PANEL: NORTHERN IRELAND – A PLACE TO INVEST

CHAIR
Angela Magowan
PANEL
Chris Conway
CEO, Translink
Ellvena Graham
Chair of Tourism NI
Gillian McAuley
President NI Chamber of Commerce
Celine McStravick
CEO, NICVA
Joe O'Neill
CEO, Belfast Harbour

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01.00pm

PANEL 2: GLOBAL NORTHERN IRELAND

CHAIR
The Honourable Deborah Wince-Smith
President and CEO, Council of Competitiveness, USA
PANEL
Dr Steven Ashby
Director, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Sarah Friar
CEO, Nextdoor
Joan Gabel
President, University of Minnesota
Steve Orr
CEO, Catalyst
Josh Parker
CEO, Ancora

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2.00pm

BREAK

Addresses
2.40pm

Introduction of the keynote speakers

Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton
Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast

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2.45pm

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Charles Michel
President of the European Council

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2.55pm

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Ursula von der Leyen
President of the European Commission

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3:05pm

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

President William J. Clinton
Former President of the United States and Chair of the Clinton Foundation

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3:15pm

VIDEO: YOUNG LEADERS

Young Leaders (Part 1): Why has the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement been important to you?

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Young Leaders (Part 2): What's the future for Northern Ireland?

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3:20pm

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Dr Leo Varadkar TD
Taoiseach of Ireland

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3:35pm

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
Prime Minister of the UK

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3.55pm

CONFERENCE CLOSING

Professor Ian Greer
President and Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast

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Collaborative Events

For further info get in touch

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