IIEA Talks

In 2024 there were more internet shutdowns, occurring in more countries, than ever before. In this event, Felicia Anthonio, KeepItOn Campaign Manager at Access Now, and Zach Rosson, KeepItOn Data and Research Lead at Access Now, outline Access Now’s latest report: Emboldened offenders, endangered communities: internet shutdowns in 2024. This report documents internet shutdowns and their often devastating impacts – including for human rights and human life — around the world. About the Speakers: Felicia Anthonio is #KeepItOn Campaign Manager at Access Now, an organisation which campaigns to promote digital rights and freedom of expression. The #KeepItOn Campaign is global campaign of over 300 organizations that fights against internet shutdowns. Felicia has authored and co-authored several publications on internet shutdowns and hosted the Kill Switch Podcast. Felicia is also an Advisory Council member of the US-based Open Technology Fund (OTF) and a board member of the World Expression Forum (WEXFO), in Norway. Zach Rosson is the #KeepItOn Data Analyst and Research Lead at Access Now, where he helps fight internet shutdowns globally. His past experience includes data analytics in the private sector as well as computational scientific research. He has published research in the field of seismology, using data mining and statistics to study earthquake risk due to fracking activities by the energy industry.

The emergence of quantum technologies may accelerate technological development and have far-reaching economic and societal impacts. In this event, Dr Gustav Kalbe, Acting Director for Emerging and Enabling Technologies, DG CONNECT, in the European Commission discusses EU policies toward quantum technologies, including the forthcoming EU Quantum Strategy and the EU Quantum Act. Mr Kalbe focuses part of his remarks on the EU’s policies to promote the development of quantum technologies as well as how the risks that these technologies may pose can be addressed. About the Speaker: Dr Gustav Kalbe is the Acting Director for Emerging and Enabling Technologies in DG CONNECT in the European Commission. He joined the European Commission in 1998 and has held several assignments in quantum technologies, photonics, and cybersecurity. In January 2021, he was appointed Deputy to the Director of DG CONNECT for Digital Excellence and Science Infrastructure. In 2018 Dr Kalbe became responsible for the establishment and operation of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking. Dr. Kalbe holds a PhD in Physics.

Ireland’s ambitions to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require a fundamental transformation of its energy systems, including its gas network. Renewable gases such as hydrogen and biomethane can play an important role in this transition and in future-proofing Ireland’s energy supply. Renewable gases have the potential to enable sectors that cannot easily electrify to decarbonise. They also have the potential to enhance Ireland’s energy security while creating opportunities for export-driven economic growth. This panel discussion, organised in conjunction with Gas Networks Ireland, will discuss the transformation that might be required in Ireland’s gas network to reach net-zero carbon emissions, as well as the long-term potential benefits for Irish society and the wider economy that this transformation might yield. About the Speakers: Edwina Nyhan, Director of Strategy and Regulation at Gas Networks Ireland Tom O’Brien, Group Chief Executive of Nephin Energy Katy McNeil, Head of Scottish Government Office, Ireland Charlie Brophy, Principal Officer, Electricity Storage and Hydrogen Policy in the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.

In his online address to the IIEA, Professor Avi Shlaim discusses his new book, Genocide in Gaza: Israel’s Long War on Palestine, a Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2024. In the book, Avi Shlaim places Israel’s policy towards the Gaza Strip under an uncompromising lens, arguing that Israel has gone beyond land-grabbing and ethnic cleansing to now committing genocide. As a collection of essays written between 2021-2024, the book begins with a foreword by Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, and ends with the statement made by Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC to the International Court of Justice in the Case of Genocide against Israel. About the Speaker: Avi Shlaim is Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the British Academy. He is one of the most acclaimed historians of modern Palestinian and Israeli history. His books include Collusion across the Jordan: King Abdullah, the Zionist Movement, and the Partition of Palestine (1988); War and Peace in the Middle East: A Concise History (1995); The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World (2000, updated edition 2014); Lion of Jordan: The Life of King Hussein in War and Peace (2007); Israel and Palestine: Reappraisals, Revisions, Refutations (2009); Three Worlds: Memoir of an Arab-Jew (2023), and Genocide in Gaza: Israel’s Long War on Palestine (2024).

In her address to the IIEA, Ruth Owen, Deputy Director at FEANTSA, examines the European Union’s efforts to address homelessness through its evolving affordable housing agenda. As the EU has no direct competence in housing, the responsibility for policies on and investment in social and affordable housing remains with the Member States. Drawing on over a decade of experience in homelessness policy, she explores the potential of EU initiatives to support more inclusive and effective housing solutions across Member States, including the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness and the affordable housing initiative as part of the Commission's renovation wave strategy for Europe. She considers the challenges of implementation, the role of national governments, and the need for integrated policy responses to ensure that affordable housing contributes meaningfully to the fight against homelessness. Speaker bio: Ruth Owen is Deputy Director at FEANTSA (European Federation of National Associations Working with the Homeless), where she has worked since 2010. She is an expert on homelessness and public policies to address it. She has a special interest in housing policy. Prior to working on homelessness, Ruth studied geography and worked as a teacher in London.