Francis Martin O'Donnell
Encyclopedia
Francis Martin O'Donnell, KC*SG
, KM, KCMCO
, is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Slovak Republic. He is a retired former UN official who served most recently as the Resident Coordinator
of the United Nations
system in Ukraine
, from 30 September 2004 until 31 March 2009, and previously in the same capacity in Serbia
-Montenegro
. He worked in UN service for 32 years.
, son of Patrick Denis O'Donnell
, who served briefly as a United Nations military observer with UNTSO, the oldest UN peace-keeping operation in the world.
and Philosophy
from the National University of Ireland
at University College Dublin
, and has also read International Law
and Diplomacy
at postgraduate level in Geneva
, and qualified in Disaster Management at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. In the summer of 1997, he was the subject of a two-page feature as a successful graduate in the inaugural summer 1997 issue of "UCD Connections" (University College Dublin, his alma-mater), and more recently in the CoRD magazine in Belgrade
.
, he has also served the UN in Lesotho
, Mauritania
, Niger
, Switzerland
, Turkey
, the United States of America, and recently in Serbia & Montenegro. He also undertook short missions in over 40 other countries in Africa
, Asia
, the Middle East
, Central and Eastern Europe, North America, and the Caribbean.
At the end of the Cold War
, he was requested in late 1991 to launch a rapid response capability for deploying UN Volunteers (UNV) to UN emergency operations worldwide. He overhauled recruitment methods, and oversaw the rapid deployment of thousands of UN volunteers to crisis zones, where they became the front-line link between relief and aid delivery agencies such as UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, UNDP, and WHO
and suffering war victims, refugees and internal displacees. The effort saved lives during the years 1992-1994 in Afghanistan
, Angola
, Bosnia
, Cambodia
, Ethiopia
, Kenya
, Liberia
, Rwanda
, Somalia
, Sudan
, and many other war-torn countries during the raging inter-ethnic tragedies that succeeded the Cold War's proxy conflicts. True life stories from the field featured in Volunteers Against Conflict, a book praised by former Presidents Nelson Mandela
, Mary Robinson
, Jimmy Carter
, and Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum, and written by volunteers recruited under his leadership.
Based later in Turkey
, he helped assure the humanitarian corridor through Turkey into northern Iraq
after the first Gulf War
from 1994–1996, and coordinated earthquake relief in Turkey itself. Subsequently he held a senior emergency management role in UNDP headquarters in New York, and later lead a systemic governance team for crisis countries, developing a new policy approach to tackle root causes for preventing crisis in vulnerable countries.
In 2000, he played an important role in leading missions that helped the late Sergio Vieira de Mello
lay the foundations for public administration capacity in East Timor
before independence. He organised a landmark workshop with the Timorese leadership on 1 March 2000, leading to a reform of the UN mission by the Security Council. O'Donnell organised the joint workshop between UNTAET and the Timorese leadership, the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction
(CNRT), on 1 March 2000 to tease out a new strategy, and identify institutional needs. The Timorese delegation was led by Jose Ramos Horta
. The outcome was an agreed blueprint for a joint administration with executive powers, including leaders of the CNRT. Further details were worked out in a conference in May 2000. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in East Timor, Sérgio Vieira de Mello
, presented the new blueprint to a donor conference in Lisbon, on 22 June 2000, and to the UN Security Council on 27 June 2000. On 12 July 2000, the NCC adopted a regulation establishing a Transitional Cabinet composed of four East Timorese and four UNTAET representatives. The revamped joint administration successfully laid the institutional foundations for independence, and on 27 September 2002, East Timor joined the United Nations.
In late 2000, he landed in Belgrade http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/AllDocsByUNID/5f39f9794ba9318cc1256bdb00459dec in the immediate aftermath of the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević
, and supported the new democratic forces in bringing stability to the remnant of the former Yugoslavia
(Serbia and Montenegro), preventing nascent conflict with marginalised ethnic Albanians in the Preševo Valley
of southern Serbia, launching reintegration programmes, promoting human rights, and supporting reform of governance institutions http://www.arhiva.srbija.gov.rs/vesti/2004-02/20/343738.html http://www.skgo.org/reports/734 http://www.eps.rs/publikacije/list_kwh/2002/list_br_334.pdf, and bolstering civil society. In 2002, he was appointed by the UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan
as Resident Coordinator of the UN system http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2002.nsf/8c49569b027ab6a1c125720400567064/6930f98c30153c69c12573d80035361a/$FILE/undp-yug-30apr.pdf http://www.un.org.rshttp://www.undp.org.rs in Yugoslavia/Serbia-Montenegro, and later again in Ukraine in October 2004, just before the so-called Orange Revolution
. He also contributed to housing sector policy in south-east Europe.
He presented his credentials to the President of Ukraine on 16 November 2004. As Resident Coordinator, he was the designated representative of the UN Secretary-General and lead the UN Country Team of UN agencies http://www.un.org.ua/ and related bodies and was primus inter pares amongst several such accredited UN system chefs de mission diplomatique. The 2007 Ukrainian political crisis
, which lasted from April to June 2007 was part of political stand off between coalition and opposition factions of Verkhovna Rada
that led to the unscheduled Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007
, and started on April 2, 2007 as a culmination of long lasting crisis and degradation of the parliamentary coalition when the President of Ukraine
(Viktor Yushchenko
) attempted to dissolve the parliament. The following day, in light of impending political unrest, O'Donnell as United Nations
Resident Coordinator
, and following an earlier call to deepen democracy and liberalize the economy http://www.un.org.ua/en/information-centre/news/352-2007-03-21, exceptionally issued an advisory statement of principles on behalf of the Country Team http://www.un.org.ua/files/unct_ukraine_statement_en.pdf (followed by a visit by former Estonian President Arnold Rüütel
on 23 April http://www.un.org.ua/en/information-centre/news/364-2007-04-24).
O'Donnell called for greater awareness of the Holocausthttp://www.ncsj.org/AuxPages/Wkly090130.pdf and active tolerance and decried discrimination against Jews, Muslims, migrants and minorities in many countries. He was also instrumental in tackling racism and xenophobia
in Ukraine, by taking the leadership in organizing regular consultations and meetings with the representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations and jointly bringing this issue to the attention of Government. An ambassadorial working group was formed and a Diversity
Initiative, a coordination group under the leadership of the IOM
and UNHCR, was established to provide a forum for anti-discrimination policies – with the overall objective to create a consolidated response to racism and xenophobia in Ukraine. As a result of concerted efforts, the Government stepped up its response to this challenge; an official repudiation of racism by President Viktor Yuschenko issued; the Government adopted an Action Plan on Counteraction to Racism; and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) established a special unit to counteract xenophobia and intolerance. Policy advice was provided and best practices from European countries was shared with Government. There was a wide-scale information campaign, including broadcasting of public service announcements.
O'Donnell also oversaw the establishment and implementation of the large EU Border Assistance Mission between Moldova
and Ukraine, which brought about substantial improvements in border management, including a curtailing of human trafficking, illicit weapons and other contraband smuggling, and corruption. The EUBAM mission remains implemented by UNDP and funded by the European Commission. He also coordinated UNDP cooperation under the BUMAD programme with Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus, to reduce illicit drug traffic. O’Donnell drew attention to the negative impact of endemic corruption in Ukraine, on cooperation with its development partners. He also launched a major programme for women's and children's rights, in collaboration with the EC, Council of Europe, and ILO.
The First Lady of Ukraine, Kateryna Yushchenko, in her farewell, thanked Mr. O’Donnell for his work in Ukraine and cooperation with her Ukraine 3000 Foundation. She credited him that UN institutions repeatedly rendered support to the Foundation’s initiatives related to education and culture. Also in 2007, the Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Foundation joined the United Nations Global Compact.
, Global Alliance of Peace Services, the Life and Peace Institute (see http://www.life-peace.org/default2.asp?xid=), the Swedish Christian Council, Pax Christi
, International Alert, and others.
He has also addressed public and expert audiences, and delivered keynote addresses at several international conferences. He delivered an address (see http://www.un.org.ua/?p=news&article=693) to the XXII International Congress on the Family in Kiev, Ukraine (see http://www.zakonmaltanski.pl/index.php?go=news17), and more recently was guest speaker at the Conference for Young Christian Professionals held in Rome
on 28–30 November 2008, where he addressed the subject of Leadership Challenges in the Service of Society. The conference was targeted at "socially active young people, those who are not afraid to discuss the challenges and problems of modern life and who would like to find solutions in the spirit of Pope John Paul II
’s call to ‘build a civilisation of love’, i.e. young people between the ages of 25- 35, in particular the peers of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II". Several of his papers have been published and he has contributed chapters to several published works on peace and governance issues.
He has appeared on national TV and radio programmes in several developing countries and in France
, Italy
, Turkey
, as well as on Irish RTE
, UK Radio-4 (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/), KRTV (see http://www.krtvonline.com/) and FOX NEWS (US) (see http://www.foxnews.com/), and on the BBC
and CNN
, Serbian and Montenegrin TV channels (RTS, B92, Beta), and Ukrainian TV as well as in various print media.
At the invitation of the Irish Tánaiste
(Deputy Prime Minister) and Foreign Minister in early 1995, he contributed towards the first White Paper
on Irish Foreign Policy (see http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/information/publications/whitepaper/default.asp). His monograph is lodged in the National Archives of Ireland, and acknowledged in the published White Paper (1996). He is member of the Institute of International and European Affairs (see http://www.iiea.com/eventsx.php?event_id=163).
His analysis of the historical evolution of the law affecting incorporeal hereditaments as elements of intangible cultural heritage
(see http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=2225&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html) has also been acknowledged by the Law Reform Commission http://www.lawreform.ie/ in Ireland, during its consideration of the repeal of 150 statutes going back to 1285 (see http://www.lawreform.ie/Report%20on%20Reform%20and%20Modernisation%20of%20Land%20Law.pdf). Since mid-2006, the consequent Bill on Land Reform & Conveyancing has progressed in the Oireachtas
, and been adopted into law, as the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act, Number 27 of 2009 http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=13018&CatID=87, with such hereditaments preserved as personal rights when held in gross.
of Ukraine
, Ms. Nina Karpachova also bestowed the Ombudsman’s Medal of Honour on O’Donnell for his defense of human rights in that country http://www.ombudsman.kiev.ua/pres/releases/rel_09_03_25.htm
O'Donnell holds the Cross of Honour of Jerusalem http://www.custodia.org/IMG/pdf/decoration_italian.pdf, bestowed on him by the Custodia Franciscalis Terra Sanctae in 1965.
He was decreed into the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great
, by decree 1566/ON of 10 November 2007, by virtue of which Pope Benedict XVI
conferred on him the dignity of papal Knight Commander
with Silver Star, a dignity assumed upon his retirement from the UN.
He is also a Knight Commander of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=11128, which shares motto: In Hoc Signo Vinces
, inscribed on his coat of arms the main motif of which is a cross-crosslet.
O'Donnell is also a Knight of Maltahttp://www.orderofmalta.ie/ (member of the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta), and has been accredited as the Order's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Slovak Republic.
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
, KM, KCMCO
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry. It was fictively established by Constantine the Great, though in reality it was founded between 1520 and 1545 by two brothers of the Angeli Comneni family. Members of the Angeli Comneni family remained...
, is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the Slovak Republic. He is a retired former UN official who served most recently as the Resident Coordinator
Resident Coordinator
A United Nations Resident Coordinator is the highest United Nations official and the chief of UN diplomatic mission in a country . It confers the same rank as an Ambassador of a foreign state...
of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
system in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, from 30 September 2004 until 31 March 2009, and previously in the same capacity in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
-Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. He worked in UN service for 32 years.
Background
He was born in 1954 in Dublin, IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, son of Patrick Denis O'Donnell
Patrick Denis O'Donnell
Patrick Denis O'Donnell, , was an Irish military historian, writer, former UN peace-keeper, and retired Commandant of the Irish Defence Forces. -Background:...
, who served briefly as a United Nations military observer with UNTSO, the oldest UN peace-keeping operation in the world.
Education
He is an honours graduate in EconomicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
, and has also read International Law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
and Diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
at postgraduate level in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, and qualified in Disaster Management at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. In the summer of 1997, he was the subject of a two-page feature as a successful graduate in the inaugural summer 1997 issue of "UCD Connections" (University College Dublin, his alma-mater), and more recently in the CoRD magazine in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
.
UN career
Since 1976, when he started as a United Nations Volunteer in SudanSudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, he has also served the UN in Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
, Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the United States of America, and recently in Serbia & Montenegro. He also undertook short missions in over 40 other countries in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Central and Eastern Europe, North America, and the Caribbean.
At the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, he was requested in late 1991 to launch a rapid response capability for deploying UN Volunteers (UNV) to UN emergency operations worldwide. He overhauled recruitment methods, and oversaw the rapid deployment of thousands of UN volunteers to crisis zones, where they became the front-line link between relief and aid delivery agencies such as UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, UNDP, and WHO
Who
Who may refer to:* Who , an English-language pronoun* who , a Unix command* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism- Art and entertainment :* Who? , a 1958 novel by Algis Budrys...
and suffering war victims, refugees and internal displacees. The effort saved lives during the years 1992-1994 in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, and many other war-torn countries during the raging inter-ethnic tragedies that succeeded the Cold War's proxy conflicts. True life stories from the field featured in Volunteers Against Conflict, a book praised by former Presidents Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, Mary Robinson
Mary Robinson
Mary Therese Winifred Robinson served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, from 1997 to 2002. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister, campaigner and member of the Irish Senate...
, Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, and Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum, and written by volunteers recruited under his leadership.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, he helped assure the humanitarian corridor through Turkey into northern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
after the first Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
from 1994–1996, and coordinated earthquake relief in Turkey itself. Subsequently he held a senior emergency management role in UNDP headquarters in New York, and later lead a systemic governance team for crisis countries, developing a new policy approach to tackle root causes for preventing crisis in vulnerable countries.
In 2000, he played an important role in leading missions that helped the late Sergio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello was a Brazilian United Nations employee who worked for the UN for more than 34 years, earning respect and praise around the world for his efforts in the humanitarian and political programs of the UN...
lay the foundations for public administration capacity in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
before independence. He organised a landmark workshop with the Timorese leadership on 1 March 2000, leading to a reform of the UN mission by the Security Council. O'Donnell organised the joint workshop between UNTAET and the Timorese leadership, the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction
National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction
National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction is a political party in East Timor founded by former President Xanana Gusmão in March 2007 in preparation for the 2007 parliamentary election....
(CNRT), on 1 March 2000 to tease out a new strategy, and identify institutional needs. The Timorese delegation was led by Jose Ramos Horta
José Ramos Horta
José Manuel Ramos-Horta , GCL is the President of East Timor, the second since independence from Indonesia, taking office on 20 May 2007...
. The outcome was an agreed blueprint for a joint administration with executive powers, including leaders of the CNRT. Further details were worked out in a conference in May 2000. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in East Timor, Sérgio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello was a Brazilian United Nations employee who worked for the UN for more than 34 years, earning respect and praise around the world for his efforts in the humanitarian and political programs of the UN...
, presented the new blueprint to a donor conference in Lisbon, on 22 June 2000, and to the UN Security Council on 27 June 2000. On 12 July 2000, the NCC adopted a regulation establishing a Transitional Cabinet composed of four East Timorese and four UNTAET representatives. The revamped joint administration successfully laid the institutional foundations for independence, and on 27 September 2002, East Timor joined the United Nations.
In late 2000, he landed in Belgrade http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/AllDocsByUNID/5f39f9794ba9318cc1256bdb00459dec in the immediate aftermath of the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
, and supported the new democratic forces in bringing stability to the remnant of the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
(Serbia and Montenegro), preventing nascent conflict with marginalised ethnic Albanians in the Preševo Valley
Preševo Valley
The Preševo Valley , is an Albanian political catchphrase used to describe the two south Serbian municipalities of Bujanovac and Preševo, which have a majority ethnic Albanian population. Medvedja municipality is sometimes also included under this term, although it has a majority Serbian population...
of southern Serbia, launching reintegration programmes, promoting human rights, and supporting reform of governance institutions http://www.arhiva.srbija.gov.rs/vesti/2004-02/20/343738.html http://www.skgo.org/reports/734 http://www.eps.rs/publikacije/list_kwh/2002/list_br_334.pdf, and bolstering civil society. In 2002, he was appointed by the UN Secretary-General
Secretary-General
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
as Resident Coordinator of the UN system http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2002.nsf/8c49569b027ab6a1c125720400567064/6930f98c30153c69c12573d80035361a/$FILE/undp-yug-30apr.pdf http://www.un.org.rshttp://www.undp.org.rs in Yugoslavia/Serbia-Montenegro, and later again in Ukraine in October 2004, just before the so-called Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
. He also contributed to housing sector policy in south-east Europe.
He presented his credentials to the President of Ukraine on 16 November 2004. As Resident Coordinator, he was the designated representative of the UN Secretary-General and lead the UN Country Team of UN agencies http://www.un.org.ua/ and related bodies and was primus inter pares amongst several such accredited UN system chefs de mission diplomatique. The 2007 Ukrainian political crisis
2007 Ukrainian political crisis
The political crisis in Ukraine lasted from April to June of 2007 was part of political stand off between coalition and opposition factions of Verkhovna Rada that led to the unscheduled Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007...
, which lasted from April to June 2007 was part of political stand off between coalition and opposition factions of Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
that led to the unscheduled Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007
Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt...
, and started on April 2, 2007 as a culmination of long lasting crisis and degradation of the parliamentary coalition when the President of Ukraine
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
(Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
) attempted to dissolve the parliament. The following day, in light of impending political unrest, O'Donnell as United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Resident Coordinator
Resident Coordinator
A United Nations Resident Coordinator is the highest United Nations official and the chief of UN diplomatic mission in a country . It confers the same rank as an Ambassador of a foreign state...
, and following an earlier call to deepen democracy and liberalize the economy http://www.un.org.ua/en/information-centre/news/352-2007-03-21, exceptionally issued an advisory statement of principles on behalf of the Country Team http://www.un.org.ua/files/unct_ukraine_statement_en.pdf (followed by a visit by former Estonian President Arnold Rüütel
Arnold Rüütel
Arnold Rüütel OIH was the third President of the Republic of Estonia from October 8, 2001 to October 9, 2006. He was the second President since Estonia regained its independence in 1991....
on 23 April http://www.un.org.ua/en/information-centre/news/364-2007-04-24).
O'Donnell called for greater awareness of the Holocausthttp://www.ncsj.org/AuxPages/Wkly090130.pdf and active tolerance and decried discrimination against Jews, Muslims, migrants and minorities in many countries. He was also instrumental in tackling racism and xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
in Ukraine, by taking the leadership in organizing regular consultations and meetings with the representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations and jointly bringing this issue to the attention of Government. An ambassadorial working group was formed and a Diversity
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
Initiative, a coordination group under the leadership of the IOM
International Organization for Migration
The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to help resettle people displaced by World War II....
and UNHCR, was established to provide a forum for anti-discrimination policies – with the overall objective to create a consolidated response to racism and xenophobia in Ukraine. As a result of concerted efforts, the Government stepped up its response to this challenge; an official repudiation of racism by President Viktor Yuschenko issued; the Government adopted an Action Plan on Counteraction to Racism; and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) established a special unit to counteract xenophobia and intolerance. Policy advice was provided and best practices from European countries was shared with Government. There was a wide-scale information campaign, including broadcasting of public service announcements.
O'Donnell also oversaw the establishment and implementation of the large EU Border Assistance Mission between Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
and Ukraine, which brought about substantial improvements in border management, including a curtailing of human trafficking, illicit weapons and other contraband smuggling, and corruption. The EUBAM mission remains implemented by UNDP and funded by the European Commission. He also coordinated UNDP cooperation under the BUMAD programme with Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus, to reduce illicit drug traffic. O’Donnell drew attention to the negative impact of endemic corruption in Ukraine, on cooperation with its development partners. He also launched a major programme for women's and children's rights, in collaboration with the EC, Council of Europe, and ILO.
The First Lady of Ukraine, Kateryna Yushchenko, in her farewell, thanked Mr. O’Donnell for his work in Ukraine and cooperation with her Ukraine 3000 Foundation. She credited him that UN institutions repeatedly rendered support to the Foundation’s initiatives related to education and culture. Also in 2007, the Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Foundation joined the United Nations Global Compact.
Public life
Since the early 1990s, he was actively involved in promoting global peace services http://www.globalpeaceservices.org/ and inter-faith dialogue, with World Peacemakers (see http://www.worldpeacemakers.org/) and the United States Agency for International DevelopmentUnited States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
, Global Alliance of Peace Services, the Life and Peace Institute (see http://www.life-peace.org/default2.asp?xid=), the Swedish Christian Council, Pax Christi
Pax Christi
-History:Pax Christi was established in France in 1945 as a reconciliation work between the French and the Germans after the Second World War. In 2007, it existed in more than 60 countries...
, International Alert, and others.
He has also addressed public and expert audiences, and delivered keynote addresses at several international conferences. He delivered an address (see http://www.un.org.ua/?p=news&article=693) to the XXII International Congress on the Family in Kiev, Ukraine (see http://www.zakonmaltanski.pl/index.php?go=news17), and more recently was guest speaker at the Conference for Young Christian Professionals held in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on 28–30 November 2008, where he addressed the subject of Leadership Challenges in the Service of Society. The conference was targeted at "socially active young people, those who are not afraid to discuss the challenges and problems of modern life and who would like to find solutions in the spirit of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
’s call to ‘build a civilisation of love’, i.e. young people between the ages of 25- 35, in particular the peers of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II". Several of his papers have been published and he has contributed chapters to several published works on peace and governance issues.
He has appeared on national TV and radio programmes in several developing countries and in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, as well as on Irish RTE
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
, UK Radio-4 (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/), KRTV (see http://www.krtvonline.com/) and FOX NEWS (US) (see http://www.foxnews.com/), and on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Serbian and Montenegrin TV channels (RTS, B92, Beta), and Ukrainian TV as well as in various print media.
Other interests
The initiative to create an Irish-Arab Society was proposed by O’Donnell in November 1968, and taken up by a group of Irish and Arab friends. It was the principal advocate of the Palestinian cause in Ireland during the 1970s, and 1980s. It also played a key advisory and facilitative role in promoting Irish-Arab trade and cultural links, and with its support diplomatic relations were established with 12 states in the Middle East and North Africa between 1974 and 1976.At the invitation of the Irish Tánaiste
Tánaiste
The Tánaiste is the deputy prime minister of Ireland. The current Tánaiste is Eamon Gilmore, TD who was appointed on 9 March 2011.- Origins and etymology :...
(Deputy Prime Minister) and Foreign Minister in early 1995, he contributed towards the first White Paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
on Irish Foreign Policy (see http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/information/publications/whitepaper/default.asp). His monograph is lodged in the National Archives of Ireland, and acknowledged in the published White Paper (1996). He is member of the Institute of International and European Affairs (see http://www.iiea.com/eventsx.php?event_id=163).
His analysis of the historical evolution of the law affecting incorporeal hereditaments as elements of intangible cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
(see http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=2225&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html) has also been acknowledged by the Law Reform Commission http://www.lawreform.ie/ in Ireland, during its consideration of the repeal of 150 statutes going back to 1285 (see http://www.lawreform.ie/Report%20on%20Reform%20and%20Modernisation%20of%20Land%20Law.pdf). Since mid-2006, the consequent Bill on Land Reform & Conveyancing has progressed in the Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
, and been adopted into law, as the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act, Number 27 of 2009 http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=13018&CatID=87, with such hereditaments preserved as personal rights when held in gross.
Honours
On his departure from Ukraine, the Parliamentary OmbudsmanOmbudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Ms. Nina Karpachova also bestowed the Ombudsman’s Medal of Honour on O’Donnell for his defense of human rights in that country http://www.ombudsman.kiev.ua/pres/releases/rel_09_03_25.htm
O'Donnell holds the Cross of Honour of Jerusalem http://www.custodia.org/IMG/pdf/decoration_italian.pdf, bestowed on him by the Custodia Franciscalis Terra Sanctae in 1965.
He was decreed into the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
, by decree 1566/ON of 10 November 2007, by virtue of which Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
conferred on him the dignity of papal Knight Commander
Knight Commander
Knight Commander is the second most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are dormant . The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' or 'Dame' before his or her name...
with Silver Star, a dignity assumed upon his retirement from the UN.
He is also a Knight Commander of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry. It was fictively established by Constantine the Great, though in reality it was founded between 1520 and 1545 by two brothers of the Angeli Comneni family. Members of the Angeli Comneni family remained...
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=11128, which shares motto: In Hoc Signo Vinces
In hoc signo vinces
In hoc signo vinces is a Latin rendering of the Greek phrase "" en touto nika, and means "in this sign you will conquer"....
, inscribed on his coat of arms the main motif of which is a cross-crosslet.
O'Donnell is also a Knight of Maltahttp://www.orderofmalta.ie/ (member of the Sovereign Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta), and has been accredited as the Order's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Slovak Republic.
Published works
- Meeting the Humanitarian Challenge - Between Conflict and Development, foreword by Brenda McSweeney, Executive Coordinator (edited by Maria Keating); 43-page booklet published by United Nations Volunteers, Geneva, 1995.
- Third Party Civilian Peace Processes in Conflict Situations, second chapter (pp. 11–24) in Civil Intervention - The Role of NGOs in Conflict Prevention, published by Pax Christi International, Brussels, 1995.
- International Cooperation for Drug Control, article published in Turkish Daily News, Ankara, 30 June 1995.
- Tolerance: Respecting Diversity in a Complex World, pp. 25–38, second chapter of 258-page book Uluslararasi Hosgoru Kongresi - International Congress on Tolerance BILDIRILER published by Ministry of Culture, Turkey, in November 1995. .
- Tomorrow's Turkey Today - The Ankara Roundtable on Human Sustainability, (163 pages), contribution in pp. 119–122 on the linkage between global governance and local environmental management, published by Indigenous Development International, Cambridge, UK, in 1996 (ISBN 1-900164-01-9).
- Some Foreign Policy Options for Ireland (40-page monograph submitted by invitation for consideration by the Government of Ireland in the preparation of a White Paper on Foreign Policy presented to Dáil, Irish Parliament in 1996), Ankara, May 1995. The monograph has been subsequently lodged by the Government of Ireland in the National Archives.
- A Day in the Life, published in UCD Connections, worldwide magazine of University College Dublin Alumni, inaugural issue no.1 (ISSN 0791-8747), Dublin, Spring/Summer 1997.
- Wealth of Dignity, Poverty of Destiny – article published in O’Domhnaill Abu, Newsletter no. 32, Summer 2004 of the Clan Association http://homepage.eircom.net/~vod/ of the O’Donnells of Tyrconnell (ISSN 0790-7389).
- Global Stability through Multilateralism – Why a strong United Nations is essential to defend freedom and ensure prosperity, published (pp 11–15 in Ukrainian, and 16-19 in English) in Memory of Centuries: Ukraine in the UN – 60th anniversary, published by the General Directorate for Rendering Services to the Diplomatic Missions [chief editor: Stanislav Nikolayenko], issue no.5 (56) 2005,
Policy monographs
- The Concept and Promotion of Global Peace Service, paper presented as invited Guest Speaker at the "Global Peace Service" Conference at the Church Center for the United Nations, U.N. Plaza, New York, November 1993.
- Humanitarian Access and the Opportunity for Building-up Peace from the Grassroots, paper presented upon invitation to international seminar on "Towards a Global Alliance of Peace Services", held by the Christian Council of Sweden, and Life & Peace Institute, at Stensnas, Stockholm, Sweden, May 1994.
- Conflict Prevention, Response, and Post-Conflict Recovery, paper presented at meeting with European Commission (DG VIII), Brussels, November 1997.
- Foundations for Governance and Public Administration in East Timor, basic framework for initial capacity building in East Timor, according to the late SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello, who endorsed and presented it to Lisbon Donors Conference, on 21 June 2000, and reported it to the UN Security Council on 27 June 2000.
Other references/citations
- Towards a Global Alliance of Peace Services, published by Life and Peace Institute, Uppsala, Sweden, 1994 (co-funded by SIDA and Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs). (one of several contributors).
- Seeds of Peace, Harvest for Life by Sr. Mary Evelyn Jegen, SND (Abbey Press, St. Meinrad, Indiana, US, 1994). O’Donnell’s contributions quoted and acknowledged in Chapters 2 and 13.
- Keeping the Peace: Exploring civilian alternatives in conflict prevention (132 pages), by Lisa Schirch, published by Life & Peace Institute, Uppsala, Sweden, October 1995 (ISBN 91-87748-26-6).
- Challenges and Opportunities Abroad - The White Paper on Foreign Policy (348 pages), published by the Government of Ireland (Department of Foreign Affairs) in April 1996 (ISBN 0-7076-2385-5). His contribution acknowledged in list of contributors.
- Volunteers Against Conflict (ISBN 92-808-0923-7), published in 1996 by United Nations University and United Nations Volunteers, a collaborative effort with the Humanitarianism and War Project of the Thomas J. Watson Jr. Institute for International Studies, Brown University (US). The book includes firsthand accounts of UN volunteers deployed by O’Donnell in Cambodia, South Africa, Mozambique, Rwanda, ex-Yugoslavia, and Somalia. Presidents Mary Robinson (Ireland), Nelson Mandela (South Africa), and Jimmy Carter (US), all endorsed the book. Book project initiated by O’Donnell.
- Patterns of Partnership: UN Peacekeeping and Peoples’ Peacebuilding by Tatsuro Kunugi, Elise Boulding, & Jan Oberg, published by The Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, Sweden, 1996. O’Donnell’s work cited.
- Irishman heads UN programme in Belgrade, by Deaglán de Bréadún, Irish Times, Dublin, 13 October 2000.
- The United Nations Development Programme - A Better Way? (372 pages), by Craig N. Murphy, published by Cambridge University Press, New York/US & Cambridge/UK, 2006 (ISBN 0-521-68316-5). O'Donnell's work and influence in East Timor in early 2000, cited (page 341).
External links
- Swiss TV clip, descendants commemorating Flight of the Earls; March, 2008
- Institute of European Affairs, Dublin http://www.iiea.com/eventsx.php?event_id=163
- Royal Family of Yugoslavia & Serbia http://www.royalfamily.org/statements/state-det/state-1016.htm
- UNDP in Serbia-Montenegro, Belgrade http://www.undp.org.rs
- UNDP in Ukraine, Kiev http://www.undp.org.ua
- United Nations Office in Serbia-Montenegro, Belgrade http://www.un.org.rs
- United Nations Office in Ukraine, Kiev http://www.un.org.ua/
- United Nations Volunteers, Bonn http://www.unv.org/infobase/unv_news/2001/91/01_03_91_peace.htm
- USAID, Washington, D.C. http://www.usaid.gov/pubs/confprev/jun2000/odonnell.html
- Wilton Park Conferences, England http://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/documents/conferences/WP773/pdfs/WP773.pdf