International Berlin Forum - In Search of Lost Universalism
under the auspices of Association of Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe and hosted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Berlin. This is a major international civic forum which starts from the presumption that there are many cultures – but one civilisation based on human rights, freedom, the rule of law and democracy. That civilisation needs to be constantly refreshed by conscious action.
4th International Forum
Panel: The Future is Now, Berlin, 26–27 November 2018.
Mikhail Fishman (Russia) - Moderator
Amb. Francis M. O’Donnell (Ireland)
Barbara von Ow-Freytag (Germany)
Elena Zhemkova (Russia)
Stefan Melle (Germany)
Vytis Jurkonis (Lithuania)
6th International Forum
In Celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, 21 November 2020
(400 authorized participants from 35 countries and 62 regions of Russia)
The main global challenges before and after 2020: Lena Nemirovskaya, Yury Senokosov, Matjaž Gruden, John Lloyd, Lars Hänsel,Thomas Bagger, Sergei Guriev, Ian Buruma
Panel: The United Nations at 75 – Multilateralism & the Future of Global Governance
Bobo Lo (Australia) - Moderator
Laila Bokhari (Norway)
Lolita Čigāne (Latvia)
Amb. Francis M. O’Donnell (Ireland)
Mikhail Minakov (Ukraine)
Indiana Council on World Affairs (linked to Foreign Policy Association of the USA)
I was the invited guest speaker of the Indiana Council on World Affairs, networked with the Foreign Policy Association of the USA, and speaking on 23 March 2021 on the subject "The End of Globalisation?" in its series "Great Decisions". I was introduced by my very dear old friend of 40 years, Dr. Betty Tonsing (we served in Lesotho back then with the UN), and the subsequent Q&A was moderated by Donald Cassell, Senior Fellow of the Sagamore Institute.
Ambassador O’Donnell’s contributed articles or interviews have been published in:
Atlantic Council (Washington DC), Azertac (Baku), AzerNews (Baku), Business Ukraine (Kyiv), Commerce (Kyiv), CorD (Belgrade), CNN (Atlanta), Danas (Belgrade), Den (Kyiv), East-West Bridge (Belgrade), El Norte de Castilla (Valladolid), Financial Times (London), Global Policy Analysis (Baku), Haqqin (Baku), HB (Novoe Vremya/New Voice) (Kyiv), Inosmi (Moscow), International Herald Tribune (New York), Ireland’s Genealogical Gazette (Dublin), Irish Times (Dublin), Journal of the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society (Tralee), Katoikos (Madrid), KLIX.ba (Sarajevo), Kyiv Independent (Kyiv), Kyiv Post (Kyiv), Kyiv Weekly (Kyiv), Kurier (Kyiv), Le Monde (Paris), Le Sahel-Nation (Niamey), Metropole (Vienna), MENAFN-Trend (Baku), NE Global (London), New Europa (Brussels), NIN (Belgrade), Obschaya Tetrad (Moscow), Ó Domhnaill Abú (Donegal), Politika (Belgrade), Sapere Online,Sunday Tribune (Dublin), The Irish Sword (Dublin), The Baltic Times (Riga), Trend News Agency (Baku), Turkish Daily News (Ankara), UCD Connections (Dublin), Ukraine Diplomatic (Kyiv).
Council of Europe - Association of Schools of Political Studies
Seminar on The Ecology of Multilateralism, Segovia, Spain, 26-29 May, 2019
The InterAction Council of former Presidents and Prime Ministers, co-chaired by Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach of Ireland, and Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, held its 34th Annual Plenary Meeting in Dublin, Ireland, from 30 to 31 May 2017. This meeting was comprised of the following sessions:
Present State of the World
Creating an Inclusive World
Planetary Health
Water, Peace, and Security
Amb. Francis M. O'Donnell was invited to present his guest paper on Brexit, "Parturition beyond Partition"
On 15th January 2019 in Limassol, Cyprus, the InterAction Council convened a High-Level Expert Group Meeting co-chaired by former President George Vassiliou of Cyprus, and Secretary-General Thomas Axworthy on “Ethical and Durable Approaches to Migrant and Refugee Issues.”
World Service - The Noosphere
School of Civic Education, online publication in Sapere Aude, of the Russian-language article on Leadership Challenges in Post-COVID19 Recovery:
Вызовы для лидерства в эпоху восстановления после кризиса COVID-19
Global Advocacy
Atlantic Council - Declaration of Principles for Freedom, Prosperity and Peace
For seven decades, free nations have drawn upon common principles to advance freedom, increase prosperity, and secure peace. Free nations must adapt and change. Yet our principles remain sound because they reflect the common aspirations of the human spirit. Inspired by the inalienable rights derived from our ethics, traditions, and faiths, we commit ourselves to seek a better future for our citizens and our nations.
Metropole Magazine (Austria)
Coronavirus: An Opportunity for Global Governance Reform- an article published on 4 April 2020, on How to make the April 5 International Day of Conscience really mean something.
Nizami Ganjavi International Centre - Appeal of Members to the United Nations Security Council to Support the UN Secretary-General’s Urgent Call for an Immediate Global Ceasefire amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. (12 May 2020).
Leadership Challenges in Post-COVID19 Recovery (online Zoom conference, 24 July 2020) moderated by Rovshan Muradov, Secretary-General of the NGIC, and with participation of :
Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister 2004-2007 (Pakistan)
Moussa Mara, Prime Minister 2014-2015 (Mali)
Djoomart Otorbaev, Prime Minister 2014-2015 (Kyrgyzstan)
Francis M. O'Donnell, Ambassador (ret. SMOM & UN) (Ireland)
Coronavirus and UN Reform, an article in How do we lead in an uncertain world, the special edition of Global Policy Analysis, flagship journal of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Baku, April 2020.
The Changing World Order and Its Implications for Multilateralism & its Stakeholders
(Exclusive High-Level side event to UN General Assembly); and its online Zoom panel on The Pandemic and its Consequences, moderated by Ismail Serageldin (Egypt), co-Chair of the NGIC and former Vice-President of the World Bank 1992-2000, and with the participation of:
Yves Leterme, Prime Minister 2008, 2009-2011 (Belgium)
Petre Roman, Prime Minister 1989-1991 (Romania)
Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary-General of United Nations 2007-2015 (Singapore)
Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2006 (Bangladesh)
Francis M. O'Donnell, Ambassador (ret. SMOM) & former UN representative (Ireland)
Jerome C. Glenn, Co-Founder and CEO, The Millennium Project (USA)
The UN at 75: Still fit for today's security challenges? (online Zoom conference, 11 November 2020) moderated by Zlatko Lagumdzija, former Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and with the participation of:
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former President (Mauritius)
Valdis Zatlers, former President (Latvia)
Abdulaziz Altwaijri, former Director General of ISESCO (Saudi Arabia)
Moushira Khattab, former Minister of Family and Population (Egypt)
Francis M. O'Donnell, Ambassador (ret.) (SMOM; Ireland)
Rovshan Muradov, Secretary General, Nizami Ganjavi Internt'l Center (Azerbaijan)