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Ambassador Dialogue Series: Ambassador of Ireland

Jun 20, 2019

On May 29, The Sustained Dialogue Institute (SDI) partnered with the World Trade Center Washington, DC, (WTCDC) for their first-ever Ambassador Dialogue Series featuring His Excellency Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States.

The event opened with remarks from Andrew Gelfuso, Vice President of Trade at TCMA and Director of the World Trade Center Washington, DC. Following him was Reverend Mark Farr, President of SDI.

Farr then introduced Ambassador Mulhall and they discussed the history and future of Ireland, and how Ireland has been handling their conflicts.

“The world is in a state of flux,” Ambassador Mulhall noted. “Perhaps lessons of the past have been forgotten.”

SDI, a national and international conflict transformation non-profit, seeks to create a world where people coexist peacefully, justly, and productively through dialogue. The Ambassador Dialogues look to contribute to the furtherance of global dialogue and enhance the understanding of the work of diplomacy in the city and the world.
Ambassador Mulhall touched on the economy, job retention, education and the idea of nationalism. He also talked about how his country is handling conflict within its own borders.

“We’ve resisted the temptation to blame foreigners for the troubles we’ve had,” he explained.

When asked if he saw dialogue across boundaries happening, Ambassador Mulhall said the dialogue is “getting better, but there’s not enough of it.”

He ended the event with a series of his favorite Irish poems.
SDI helps citizens around the world to transform their conflictual or destructive relationships and to design and implement sustainable change processes. Globally, SDI runs dialogues between the United States and Russia, as well as in the corporate sector, communities, workplaces, and on college campuses, where, right alongside their college courses, they train young professionals in the vital skills of conflict transformation and peace. SDI’s Advisory Board includes President Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Dorothy Cotton, James Baker lll, and Frank Carlucci, among others.

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