The UCF Office of Global Perspectives & International Initiatives (GPII) is honored to host former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern, a key architect of the Good Friday Agreement, the historic accord that brought an end to decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. The successful approach to resolving this longstanding conflict is a living breathing model which can help end and prevent conflicts in all corners of the globe.
During his leadership, Ahern worked closely with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Northern Irish political parties, and U.S. partners including President Bill Clinton and U.S. Special Envoy Senator George Mitchell to establish a fully democratic, exclusively peaceful framework for power-sharing among Northern Ireland’s political parties. The Good Friday Agreement gained bipartisan political support as well as endorsement by both the British and Irish governments and the people of Ireland – both north and south.
Join us for an engaging discussion as Bertie Ahern reflects on the peace process, the diplomacy behind ending conflicts, the work of preserving peace, and the key lessons these experiences offer for addressing global conflict today.
3:00 – 4:30 PM EST
This event is free and open to the public.
You can download the University Map, here.
Advanced Registration is REQUIRED. Please REGISTER HERE.
We look forward to seeing you there!
For additional details download the Event Flyer.
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Speaker: Bertie Ahern, key architect of the Good Friday Agreement.
Bertie Ahern served as Taoiseach (Prime Minister) from 1997 to 2008, and as Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008. A Teachta Dála (TD) (Member of Parliament) from 1977 to 2011, he was also Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1986 to 1987, Deputy Prime Minister from November to December 1994, and Minister of Finance from 1991 to 1994.He is the second-longest serving Taoiseach. As Finance Minister, Ahern was important in stimulating Ireland’s economy. He is credited with crafting the successful Programme for National Recovery; the “Irish model” for economic growth has since been adopted by a number of European countries. As Taoiseach, he oversaw a period of high economic growth in Ireland, known as the Celtic Tiger.
A significant achievement of Ahern’s first term as Taoiseach was his part in the negotiation of the Good Friday Agreement, in which the British and Irish Governments and most Northern Irish political parties established an “exclusively peaceful and democratic” framework for power-sharing in Northern Ireland. The agreement was signed on April 10, 1998. Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were jointly awarded the Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights for their work on the Good Friday.
As President of the European Council in 2004, EU leaders agreed on a European Constitution, and the EU formally admitted 10 new members. In 2008, Ahern became the sixth Irish leader to address the United States Congress. He is also the sixth person who has addressed both the UK Parliament and the United States Congress.
While still a TD but having resigned as Taoiseach, Ahern was appointed to an international advisory group on conflict resolution. In addition, Ahern serves as a board member of the peace and reconciliation charity Co-operation Ireland.