Academy Updates

UN Summit of The Future Action Day Side Event: Peace not War

Posted on • by The SDG Academy

At this side event during the UN Summit of the Future, under the theme “A Peaceful Future for All,” distinguished speakers will explore how concrete actions in peace, justice, and inclusion can advance the Sustainable Development Goals. They will emphasize the need for integrating collaborative approaches into the broader framework of international cooperation, as outlined in the Pact for the Future

Date: Saturday – 21 September 2024 | Add to Google Calendar | Add to Outlook Calendar | ICS File

Time: 11:15-12:30 ET | 15:15-16:30 UTC

Location: UN Headquarters, New York, USA, Conference Room (CR) 11

Watch Live

Hosts

UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), The Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the United Nations, UN Department of Global Communications, in collaboration with UNESCO, Dag Hammarskjöld UN Library, and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

Objectives  

  • Learn from the peace processes in Ireland and Columbia to galvanize momentum towards the implementation and acceleration of SDG 16 as an enabler across the 2030 Agenda.
  • Demonstrate how concrete action on peace, justice, and inclusion can drive progress across the SDGs and strengthen multilateralism.
  • Align and make recommendations for the implementation of the Pact for the Future (Action 7, 13, 18 , 19 and 20), based on lessons learned from these two peace processes.

Discussion Areas     

  • Building good institutions that have inclusive participation in all pillars of governance.  
  • Strengthen protective regulations to ensure public access to information.
  • Transform education and lifelong learning to be a driver of peace and sustainable development.
  • Engage women, youth,  activists, peacebuilders, volunteers, human rights defenders, and environmental activists as leaders, agents, and participants at all steps of decision-making, including in peace negotiations.

Agenda

Opening

H.E. Ambassador Fergal Mythen,Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations

Keynotes

Ambassador David Donoghue, Distinguished Fellow of ODI, former Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in New York, co-facilitator of the intergovernmental negotiations on the 2030 Agenda

José Otty Patiño Hormaza, High Commissioner for Peace, Office of the High Commissioner for Peace of Colombia

Panel Speakers

Maher Nasser, Director of Outreach Division, Department of Global Communications, United Nations

Patrick Paul Walsh, Vice President of Education and Director, SDG Academy, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

Asmita Satyarthi, Chief Executive Officer, Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion

Gisselle Wolozny, Focal Point in Honduras, United Network of Young PeaceBuilders

Chair:

Thanos Giannakopoulos, Chief, Information Management Section, Department of Global Communications, United Nations

Closing 

H. E. Ambassador Leonor Zalabata Torres, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Colombia to the United Nations

Launch of Actions

Speakers

H.E. Ambassador Fergal Mythen, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations

The Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations, Fergal Mythen, presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 26 August 2022. Immediately upon taking up duty in New York, Ambassador Mythen represented Ireland on the Security Council for the final phase of its two-year term as an elected member, which concluded on 31 December 2022.
Throughout 2023, together with the Permanent Representative of Qatar, he co-facilitated the drafting of the High Level Political Declaration on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, which was adopted by consensus by Heads of State and Government at the SDG Summit in September 2023.
He is currently co-chairing with the Permanent Representative of Palau the Steering Committee for Partnerships for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) for the period 2024-25.
Prior to his current appointment, Ambassador Mythen spent considerable periods of his career working for the Irish Government in support of the Northern Ireland peace process and implementation of the Good Friday Agreement – working for the International Fund for Ireland (1990-92), on Justice & Security issues (1999-2003 and 2005-07), and on Northern Ireland political affairs (2007-09).
Most recently, as Director-General of the Ireland, UK and Americas Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2022, he led the Departmental team working on Northern Ireland peace process issues, Irish-British relations (including the impact of Brexit), and Irish-US relations.Between 2013 and 2017, he was Director-General of the Department’s Corporate Services Division, with responsibility for its human resources, finance, ICT, property management, and corporate governance issues.
He has twice served in the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union in Brussels, covering two Irish EU Council Presidencies, firstly as Middle East / North Africa Director from 2003 to 2005, and as Coreper II Counsellor from 2009 to 2013.
Earlier in his career, he was seconded to the European Community Monitoring Mission in the former Yugoslavia, based in Sarajevo, BiH, in 1996-97. He was Director of the Department’s Human Rights Unit from 1997 to 1999. He also served as Consular Officer in the Embassy of Ireland to Italy, Rome, from 1992 to 1996. Born in 1968, Fergal studied History and English in Trinity College Dublin and Business Studies in University College Dublin.

Ambassador David Donoghue, Distinguished Fellow of ODI, former Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in New York, co-facilitator of the intergovernmental negotiations on the 2030 Agenda

Born in Dublin in 1952, Ambassador David Donoghue had a long and varied career in Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
He was involved for many years in the Northern Ireland peace process. He was one of the Irish Government’s negotiators for the ground-breaking Good Friday Agreement (1998), which has provided a political framework for lasting peace and stability in Northern Ireland.
Ambassador Donoghue served at different times as the Irish Ambassador to Russia, Austria and Germany. From 2001-4 he was the Director General of Ireland’s development co-operation programme, today known as Irish Aid, and oversaw in this capacity a programme growing significantly in budget allocation and thematic and geographic range. He also served as Political Director from 2009-13, a post which gave him responsibility for Ireland’s overall foreign policy.
From 2013-17 Ambassador Donoghue was the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in New York. At the request of the President of the General Assembly, he served as co-facilitator (with Kenya) for the UN negotiations which led to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. He also served as co-facilitator (with Jordan) for the negotiations which produced the New York Declaration on large movements of refugees and migrants, adopted at a special summit in September 2016.
Ambassador Donoghue retired from the Irish foreign service in September 2017. Since then he has been actively involved with issues relating to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and to follow-up to the New York Declaration and the related Global Compacts on Migrants and Refugees. He is contributing to the work of a number of think-tanks and academic institutions on these issues and also on issues around conflict prevention and resolution. He is, inter alia, a Distinguished Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute and a former Chairman of the Board of Conciliation Resources.

José Otty Patiño Hormaza, High Commissioner for Peace, Office of the High Commissioner for Peace of Colombia

José Otty Patiño Hormaza is a professional in Political Studies and Conflict Resolution, Analysis, and Management of Public Policies from the Universidad del Valle, as well as a researcher, university professor, and expert in peace processes, reincorporation and coexistence. He has dedicated more than 35 years to peacebuilding in Colombia.
His work as a peace promoter highlights his experience as national spokesperson for the M19 for the fulfillment of the peace agreements signed with the National Government. He was elected member of the National Constituent Assembly in 1991, representing the political movement AD-M19. In his role as assembly member of the First Commission, he contributed to the development and approval of the principles, duties, rights and guarantees of the current Political Constitution of Colombia.

Maher Nasser, Director of Outreach Division, Department of Global Communications, United Nations

Maher Nasser has over 36 years of work experience in the United Nations System during which he has worked in Amman, Cairo, Dubai, Gaza, New York and Vienna. He is currently the Director of Outreach in the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Maher leads the Department’s engagement with civil society, academia, sports / football and the creative community, including the advertising industry and was recently appointed as the Commissioner-General of the United Nations at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Maher Nasser is a reluctant runner and is married with three grown children.

Patrick Paul Walsh, Vice President of Education and Director, SDG Academy, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

Patrick Paul Walsh received a Ph.D. in Economics from the London School of Economics in 1994. Dr. Walsh is a Government of Ireland, Marie Curie (Brussels), IZA (Bonn), RSA (London), EIIR (Brussels) and REPOA (Tanzania) fellow. He is currently on secondment to UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) as Vice President of Education and Director of the SDG Academy.
Dr. Walsh still remains a Full Professor of International Development Studies and is Director of the UCD M.Sc. in Sustainable Development in partnership with the SDG Academy. He was elected president of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland (SSISI) in 2022. SSISI is an all-island learned society established in 1847. The Society is a forum for evidence based discussions on public policy between government departments, social partners and academia. Proceedings are published in an open science diamond Journal archived in TCD TARA and listed on the Web of Science.

Asmita Satyarthi, Chief Executive Officer, Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion

Asmita Satyarthi is the Chief Executive Officer at the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion (SMGC). She is committed to driving compassionate action and compassionate leadership across all walks of life globally, to achieve justice, peace, equality and sustainability.
A global leader and social reformer, Asmita holds an MBA from Indian School of Business. She has spearheaded various organizations, including Global Sustainability Network, Wockhardt Foundation, and Goodera, among others. She has diverse experience ranging from the US Department of Justice, International Labour Organisation to grassroot work in India and other geographies.
Asmita has received several prestigious awards including the US State Department’s ‘Exceptional Leadership for Social Justice’ award, the Rotary Club of Mumbai’s Young Achievers Award, and the Dainik Bhaskar Group’s Police Pride Award in Rajasthan

Gisselle Wolozny, Focal Point in Honduras, United Network of Young PeaceBuilders

Gisselle Wolozny is a Honduran lawyer with experience in International Cooperation and Project Management. At 23 years of age, she has worked at the United Nations Office in Honduras as well as at the Embassy of Honduras in Spain, and has participated in international programs such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Program of Young PeaceBuilders in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the Botin Foundation’s Program for the Strengthening of the Public Service in Latin America.
She has represented Honduras abroad in conferences such as the Nobel Prize Summit 2023 where she was a panelist, as well as in the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2024 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Currently, she is the Focal Point in Honduras for the United Network of Young PeaceBuilders, where she advocates for the implementation of the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda in the American region and is an active member of the Network of Public Servants in Latin America and the Caribbean. She has collaborated in projects such as the UNDP’s Human Development Index in Honduras, as well as launching the Youth Platform for Democracy in Honduras.
Her trajectory stands out for her work with international organizations, civil society and government agencies on topics of public policy, democracy and civic participation. This includes her most recent role as General Director of El Milenio, a youth organization of more than 30 members, whose objective is to empower young Hondurans to position themselves as an active part in the country’s social-political arena and countering political polarization. In this position, she was Co-Founder of the electoral initiative called Emil, an Artificial Intelligence bot that gathers the professional profiles of all the candidates running for Congress, divided by department and political party.
Gisselle has a high vocation of public service and is in constant search of opportunities that help her grow as a person and professional. Her main purpose is to contribute her experience back to her country, Honduras.

Thanos Giannakopoulos, Chief, Information Management Section, Department of Global Communications, United Nations

Thanos Giannakopoulos is the Chief of the Information Management Section and the Dag Hammarskjold Library of the United Nations headquarters. He has re-envisioned the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library as an open space for public dialogue, debate, and equitable knowledge sharing, while also strengthening the Section’s role as an essential component for managing the UN’s parliamentary and research digital output. Under his leadership, the UN released the United Nations Digital Library, a central repository for the UN Secretariat aimed at promoting permanent access to UN content and furthering the Organization’s commitment to the widest possible dissemination and sharing of its outputs. In 2023, the system recorded over 61 million downloads from 12,000 locations worldwide. Several other scholarly communication products and digital workflow projects have been developed under his stewardship to contribute to the UN’s information management best practices portfolio. These include a change management initiative that led to the development of the Strategic Outlook 2020-2025 and, more recently, to the Section’s updated Strategic Outlook 2024-2028, as well as a new annual series of publications, a global, collaborative UN Open Science conference, an information analysis digital workflow, a UN grey literature project and a generative AI experimentation endeavor.
Prior to his role at the UN, Thanos served as the head librarian for the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, and for the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. He can be reached at: Thanos.Giannakopoulos@UN.org

H. E. Ambassador Leonor Zalabata Torres, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Colombia to the United Nations

Ambassador Zalabata Torres is the first indigenous woman appointed as her country’s ambassador to the United Nations. She served in various capacities as an advocate for the rights of indigenous peoples in Colombia and environmental justice. Moreover, the Ambassador has also worked to improve the political representation of indigenous women and peoples.
She is a member of the Human Rights Committee for the Tayrona Indigenous Confederation in the National Indigenous Human Rights Committee (Colombia). A founding member and Coordinator of the Health Program for La Sierra Nevada de Sta. Marta, she is also co-author of the National Guidelines for Bilingual and Intercultural Education Program for the Arhuaco people.