Mr John Webster Mr Michael D’Arcy Mr John Webster is the Scottish Government Mr Michael D’Arcy was the joint editor of the Representative to Ireland. He heads a team of four seminal publication on the all-island economy ANNUAL CONFERENCE officials at the Scottish Government Office, located Border Crossings : Developing Ireland’s Island in the British Embassy in Dublin. John has been a Economy (Gill&Macmillan 1995). Since then he has Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dundalk career diplomat for 29 years. Before his current role, been involved in many all-island economic and he was Political Counsellor in the British Embassy business policy initiatives including research work 8 & 9 March 2018 to Ireland from April 2012 until January 2016. Prior for the Centre for Cross Border Studies; the ESRI; to Ireland, John was a political adviser for NATO in the European Economic and Social Committee; Helmand Province in 2010/11, before which he was Head of Humanitarian Inter Trade Ireland; Co-operation Ireland and Ulster University. #CCBSconf Policy in the UK Department for International Development, where he participated in humanitarian missions, including to the DRC and Chad. John His most recent published report is Delivering a Prosperity Process: served on postings in the UK’s Mission to the UN in Geneva, the UK Opportunities in North/South Public Service Provision completed for the Delegation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and in Embassies in Cyprus, Centre for Cross Border Studies in 2012 and supported by the Department Romania, New Zealand and Mauritius, with spells in London between postings. of Foreign and Affairs and Trade. Currently he is the Programme Lead for the Before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, John served an Ibec/CBI Northern Ireland Joint Business Council initiative to protect the all- apprenticeship as an air conditioning engineer in Glasgow, where he attended island economy as the UK leaves the EU and to scope the infrastructure schools in Partick and Bearsden. investment needed for a prosperous island of 10m by mid century. CONTACTS CENTRE FOR CROSS BORDER STUDIES 39 Abbey Street, Armagh BT61 7EB +44 28 3751 5292 (048 from Republic of Ireland) [email protected] - Ruth Taillon [email protected] - Eimear Donnelly h g a m CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL, DUNDALK r A , d t L t Inner Relief Road, Haggardstown, Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland n i r p m i r +353 42 939 4900 - cpireland.crowneplaza.com/dundalk T THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT IN ALL ITS PARTS: safeguarding the totality of relationships Welcome Programme THURSDAY 4.20 REVIEW OF DAY ONE Ms Ruth Taillon, Director, Centre for Cross Border 9.30 REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS Studies 10.00 WELCOME 4.45 END OF DAY ONE Dr Helen Johnston, Chair, Centre for Cross Border Studies 6.30 RECEPTION s we approach the 20 th Anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement we must ask ourselves how we continue to put into 10.15 KEYNOTE ADDRESS 7.00 DINNER Brexit: The constitutional issues for the UK, Ireland and Pre-dinner speaker: Mr Tony Connelly, Europe Editor, Apractice our commitment to the totality of relations within and Northern Ireland RTÉ between these islands that it represents. The Strand 1 institutions Dr Martin Mansergh, Vice Chair, Expert Advisory Group (the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly) have not functioned on Commemorations FRIDAY since January 2017, and therefore without Northern Ireland Ministers, 11.00 REFRESHMENTS 8.30 REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS there have been no North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meetings 11.30 PANEL 8.55 OPENING REMARKS (Strand 2), although there remains cooperation at Departmental level Human rights and the Good Friday Agreement Dr Helen Johnston, Chair, Centre for Cross Border and the NSMC Joint Secretariat continues to function. The Strand 3 CHAIR: Dr Anna Bryson, Board Member, Centre for Studies bodies – the British Irish Council and the British-Irish Cross Border Studies Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC) – should in the context of Ms Paddy Kelly, Director, Children’s Law Centre 9.00 KEYNOTE ADDRESS Prof Siobhán Mullally, Established Professor of Human How do we continue to moderate each other’s views Brexit be increasingly important mechanisms for cooperation. Rights Law and Director of the Irish Centre for Human through the Brexit process? Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has stated that under the Good Friday Rights, NUI Galway Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP, Conservative Party Agreement “if nothing’s devolved then everything is devolved to the Mr Daniel Holder, Deputy Director, Committee on the Administration of Justice 10.00 REFRESHMENTS British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference” and that he would be Mr Michael Farrell, Member, Council of Europe’s calling for a meeting of the BIIGC early in 2018. Commission against Racism and Intolerance; and 10.30 CONVERSATION Member, Council of State Building and maintaining relationships All of this, of course, coincides with the negotiations over the UK’s CHAIR: Dr Anthony Soares, Deputy Director, Centre for withdrawal from the EU in which issues related to Ireland/Northern 12.30 LUNCH Cross Border Studies Dr Steve Aiken OBE MLA, Ulster Unionist Party Ireland are central. The negotiations have indicated that there are at 2.00 KEYNOTE ADDRESS Mr Fergal Mythen, Director General, Ireland, UK and least 141 policy areas/powers returning from the EU which intersect Cooperation under the Good Friday Agreement: past, Americas Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and with the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland. While all parties present and future Trade Mr Hugh Logue , Special Advisor OFMDFM 1998-2002 Prof John O’Brennan, Jean Monnet Prof of European to the negotiations have stated their support for the Agreement “in and former European Commission Official Integration, Maynooth University all its parts”, it is not clear if there is common understanding of what Mr Justin McNulty MLA, SDLP 3.00 PANEL Dr Stephen Farry MLA, Alliance Party this means or what are their associated obligations. Devolution agreements from the Good Friday Agreement to Brexit and beyond 11.30 PANEL The Centre for Cross Border Studies’ 2018 Conference will bring CHAIR: Mr Colin Stutt, Board Member, Centre for Cross together some of the people centrally involved in drafting and Safeguarding the totality of relationships Border Studies CHAIR: Mr Tony Kennedy OBE, Board Member, Centre implementing the 1998 Agreement and the Devolution settlement Mr David Brew, Executive Committee Member, for Cross Border Studies European Movement in Scotland Mr Earl Storey, Board Member, Centre for Cross Border for Northern Ireland, people who have since had responsibility for its Dr Etain Tannam, Associate Professor, International implementation and others whose work as peacebuilders and cross- Studies Peace Studies, Trinity College Dublin Mr Owen Reidy, Assistant General Secretary, Irish border cooperation practitioners has given life and substance to the Ms Brid Rodgers, Founder Member and Former Deputy Congress of Trade Unions ethos and objectives of the Agreement through good times and bad. Leader, SDLP Mr John Webster, Head of the Scottish Government Mr Jim Gibney, Irish News Columnist and Sinn Féin Office in Ireland member Mr Michael D’Arcy, Programme Lead, Ibec/CBI Northern Ms Claire Sugden MLA , Independent Ireland Joint Business Council 4.00 PRESENTATION 12.30 CLOSING REMARKS The new Common Chapter for cooperation within and Ms Ruth Taillon, Director, Centre for Cross Border between these islands Studies Dr Anthony Soares, Deputy Director, Centre for Cross Border Studies 1.00 LUNCH AND END THE GOOD FRIDAY AGREEMENT IN ALL ITS PARTS: safeguarding the totality of relationships of Brexit on children’s rights and children’s lives and in advocating for the 2003. This led to the enactment of the Gender Recognition Act 2015 which A member of the Council of the European Movement in Scotland, David Conference Speakers retention and future proofing of children’s rights protections post Brexit. This provides, for the first time, official recognition of transgender persons. previously advised Scottish Ministers on a range of European policy issues work has included consultation with young people on their fears and concerns and brings a wealth of EU negotiating experience. about and hopes for Brexit. Recognising the cross-border nature of children’s Michael lectures on the ECHR and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights for Dr Helen Johnston lives on the island of Ireland, CLC has work closely with the Children’s Rights the Law Society’s Human Rights Certificate course and is a consultant to the Dr Etain Tannam Dr Helen Johnston is Chair of the Centre for Cross Alliance in Dublin in taking forward this work. Law Society’s Human Rights Committee. He was a member of the Irish Human Dr Etain Tannam is Associate Professor in Border Studies. In her day job, Helen is a Senior Rights Commission from 2001 to 2011 and is a former Chair of the Irish Paddy sits on the Board of the Human Rights Consortium which advocates International Peace Studies at Trinity College Dublin. Social Policy Analyst at the Irish National Economic Council for Civil Liberties. He has taken cases to the European Court of Human for a strong Northern Ireland Bill of Rights and has been one of the lead She is author of International Intervention in Ethnic and Social Council (NESC). Helen previously worked Rights, the European Committee on Social Rights and the UN Committee on Northern Ireland NGOs advocating for human rights protections through the Conflict: a comparison of the European Union and at the Irish Combat Poverty Agency where she was Human Rights. Brexit process. United Nations (2014, Basingstoke, Palgrave) Director for six years and Head of Research for eight and Cross-Border Co-operation in Ireland (1999, years. During her time with Combat Poverty, Helen Paddy is a former Human Rights Commissioner.