Events

From 2019 to 2024 the Ad Hoc Committee pursued an active agenda in meetings with key Irish, British and American leaders and officials. These meetings have included:

U.K. Officials

Brandon Lewis – Northern Ireland Secretary of State (two occasions)
Julian Smith M.P. – Former NI SOS
Louise Haigh M.P. – Labor Party Shadow Secretary
Michael Tatham – Deputy British Ambassador (several occasions)
Jonathan Powell – Chief negotiator for the U.K. during the Good Friday negotiations

Key Biden Administration Officials

Amanda Sloat – National Security Council Senior Director for Europe (two occasions)
Uzra Zeya – Under Secretary of State for Human Rights
Karen Domfried – Assistant Secretary for Europe
Liz Trudeau – U.S. Consul General
Paul Narain – New Consul General in Belfast

Engagements with Northern Ireland Political Parties

Political Parties: Met with leaders of:
- Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
- Sinn Fein
- Alliance
- Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)
Notable Figures:
- Claire Sugden – Former Minister for Justice
- Doug Beattie and Mike Nesbitt – New leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) (two occasions)
- Efforts to engage David Campbell – Loyalist leader (unsuccessful)

Briefings and Community Engagements

Katy Hayward – Queen’s University Brexit expert
NI Ireland Brexit Business Working Group
NI Ireland Civic Leadership Group
Victims and Survivors Commission
AMBIT Community Workers – Many from the Loyalist community

Human Rights Relationships

Maintained a long-standing relationship with key human rights experts, including the leadership of the Committee for the Administration of Justice.

Regular Engagements

Meeting with Dan Mulhall – Irish Ambassador
Collaborations with Susan Elliot and the leadership of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy to arrange meetings in NYC with Northern Ireland leaders.

In 2022 the Committee continued its robust series of engagements. Notable speakers included

U.S Consul General in Belfast Paul Narain (2x)
New American Ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin
Monica McWilliams and Mitchell Reiss, members of the International Reporting Commission (IRC) on the recent publication of the IRC’s fourth report on paramilitary activity
President of Sinn Fein Mary Lou McDonald T.D. and Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill
Peter Kyle, M.P. Labor Party Shadow Secretary for Northern Ireland
Jayne Brady, newly appointed Director of the Northern Ireland Civil Service
Colum Eastwood, M.P. leader of the SDLP political party in Northern Ireland
Lord Jonathan Caine, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Northern Ireland
Amanda Sloat, Senior Director for Europe, National Security Council
Aingael O’Donoghue, Assistant Secretary, Office of the Taoiseach and Director of the Shared Ireland Unit
Conor Burns, M.P., Junior Minister for Northern Ireland & Special Representative to the US on the NI Protocol. (2x)
Doug Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on implementation of the Good Friday Agreement
The E.U. Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Lambrinidis & Irish Ambassador to the United States Daniel Mulhall.
Irish Ambassador to the United States Geraldine Bryce Nason

In 2023 we continued our active agenda including meeting with

U.S. Special Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy III
Northern Ireland Secretary of State Christop Heaton Harris on two occasions
President of Sinn Fein Mary Lou McDonald T.D.
First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill
U.S. Consul General to Belfast Paul Narain

Several members of the Ad Hoc Committee attended the Queen’s University 25th Anniversary Conference on the GFA in Belfast including Ambassador Nancy Soderbeg, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Stella O’Leary, Ted Smyth, Kitty Higgins, and Executive Director Kevin Sullivan

In 2024 we have held meetings with

The House of Commons Northern Ireland Select Committee
Northern Ireland Secretary of State Christopher Heaton Harris
Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and a DUP delegation