Global Irish Economic Forum To Be Held In September

The inaugural Global Irish Economic Forum will bring together leading international figures with Irish links or with a strong connection to Ireland.

Announcing the initiative, the Minister said: "The primary purpose of the Forum will be to examine how the Irish, at home and abroad, can work together to generate ideas which will contribute to our overall efforts at economic recovery. It will also play a critical role in shaping the future direction of the relationship between Ireland and its Diaspora, particularly in the economic area.

"Successive Irish Governments have built a multi-layered relationship with the global Irish community, one that has marked us out as a role model for many other countries.

"The Government and the global Irish community have in the past worked closely together on issues such as the peace process in Northern Ireland and the rewards of such cooperation have been considerable.

"The Forum will provide us with the opportunity to take Ireland's relationship with the global Irish community in a new direction, to examine innovative ways of working together and to generate ideas for Ireland's economic recovery. Now is the time to shape a more strategic relationship which will bring benefits both to Ireland and to our global community and which has a more developed economic focus.

"Our global Irish community constitutes one of the most powerful and far-reaching resources at our disposal and, using our worldwide network of Embassies and Consulates, we have identified some of the most successful individuals from that global community. They will bring with them an invaluable global perspective. To help facilitate discussion, a relatively small and tightly focussed group of individuals is being invited."

Minister Martin emphasised that the initiative forms part of a wider strategy of deeper Government engagement with the Diaspora and is intended to complement the Ireland-United States Strategic Review (launched by the Taoiseach in New York on March 15) and the strategy for economic renewal outlined in 'Building Ireland's Smart Economy'.