is an Irish international businessman and former Attorney General of Ireland, associated with the Fine Gael party. He is a barrister by profession and is a Senior Counsel of the Irish Bar. He is also known for serving in a variety of international organisations, political and business roles. Mr. Sutherland is United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General for Migration and Development. He has held this position since 2006 and was responsible for the creation of the Global Forum on Migration and Development. He is President of the International Catholic Migration Commission and a member of the Migration Advisory Board of the International Organisation for Migration.
You can follow him on Twitter at: @PDSutherlandUN
LONDON – Voters in the United Kingdom have done the unthinkable, choosing to leave the European Union – a truly noble project that, whatever its shortcomings, has promoted peace and stability across the continent for more than a half-century. Markets have tumbled, Britain’s prime minister has announced that he will resign, and the UK is…
A couple of days ago, European Commission president Jean- Claude Juncker commented that the marriage of the United Kingdom with the European Union had never been a happy one and the divorce would not be amicable. As to the first of these points, from the outset 60 years ago, in the lead-up to the European Coal and Steel Community of…
LONDON – In the last week of May, at least 1,050 migrants and asylum-seekers died in the Mediterranean Sea, victims of the international community’s unwillingness to address the needs of the world’s most vulnerable people. More than 2,800 migrants have died at sea so far this year – up nearly 40% from the same period in 2015.…
The Littleton Memorial Lecture, RTE Studios, Dublin, Thursday 17th December 2015 Morally, politically, and economically migration is the defining issue of the 21st century. How we respond to it reveals a great deal about the state of our society, the integrity of our communities, and the prospects for our collective future. It is a challenge…
This year is likely to be the most momentous for refugee protection and migration since the signing of the Geneva Convention in 1951. Depending on the choices we make, we will either help create more open societies, based on greater international cooperation, or we will abet authoritarian governments and their nationalist agendas. So we must…
On 30 March 2016, UNHCR hosted in Geneva a high-level meeting on Syrian refugees and the need to find solutions to their plights globally, including through expanded resettlement and other regular means. The meeting was attended by representatives of some 80 countries, 10 international organisations and 24 non-government organizations. Among the speakers were UN Secretary…