Join us with our Special Guest Speaker Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations and incoming Ambassador to the United States (2022) who will join us in conversation with Janet Reilly, Journalist/Publisher/Co-founder Clinic by the Bay/UC Regent. Our event host is Caroline Morahan.

GUEST SPEAKER

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason

Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations and incoming Ambassador to the United States (2022)

In conversation with Janet Reilly

Journalist / Publisher / Co-founder Clinic by the Bay / UC Regent 

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason is the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in New York. She took up this position in August 2017 on completion of her term as Ambassador of Ireland to France. Previously she was Second Secretary General in the Department of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Ambassador and Ireland’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU, and Director of the National Forum on Europe.

During her career, Ambassador Byrne Nason has served in Brussels, New York, Paris, Vienna and Helsinki. As Second Secretary-General in the Department of the Taoiseach from 2011-2014, she was the highest ranking female public servant in Ireland. During that period she also was Secretary General of Ireland’s Economic Management Council.

Since her arrival in New York, Ambassador Byrne Nason led Ireland’s successful campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council, and now leads the Security Council team at the Mission for the 2021-2022 term. She was Chair of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for 2018 and 2019. She has also co-chaired high-level political negotiations on the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Nelson Mandela and on the ‘Samoa pathway’ for Small Island Developing States.

A native of County Louth, in 2020 Ambassador Byrne Nason was awarded the Freedom of Drogheda, the town’s highest honour. She was the third woman to receive the award of its 35 recipients. In 2014, she was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, Ireland’s highest academic honour. She holds an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Maynooth University as well as Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Literature from Saint Patrick’s College in Maynooth (NUIM). Ms. Byrne Nason is married and has one son.