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Peter Sutherland

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Peter Sutherland
Born
Peter Denis Sutherland

(1946-04-25) 25 April 1946 (age 80)
Dublin, Ireland
Died7 January 2018(2018-01-07) (aged 71)
Dublin, Ireland
Occupation(s)Barrister, businessman, politician
Years active1969–2017
Known forUN Special Representative for International Migration; first Director-General of the WTO; European Commissioner for Competition; Attorney General of Ireland

Peter Denis Sutherland (25 April 1946 – 7 January 2018) was an Irish barrister, businessman, and politician affiliated with Fine Gael. He notably served as the UN Special Representative for International Migration from 2006 until 2017, holding influential positions across international institutions, political arenas, and the corporate sector.

Beginning his tenure in January 2006, Sutherland spearheaded the establishment of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). He also held the presidency of the International Catholic Migration Commission and participated as a member of the Migration Advisory Board within the International Organization for Migration. His governance experience extended to board memberships at ABB and Investor AB, the investment company controlled by the Wallenberg family.

Professionally a barrister and recognized as Senior Counsel by the Bar Council of Ireland, Sutherland's career included two periods as Attorney General of Ireland (1981–1982 and 1982–1984), serving as European Commissioner for Competition from 1985 to 1989, becoming the inaugural Director-General of the World Trade Organization between 1993 and 1995, and chairing Goldman Sachs International from 1995 through 2015. Among his accolades was being named European Person of the Year in 1988.

Early and personal life

Born in Dublin in 1946 to William George and Barbara Sutherland (), he attended Gonzaga College located in Ranelagh, Dublin. Sutherland earned a degree in Civil Law from University College Dublin before practicing law at the Irish Bar from 1969 until 1980. In 1974, he married Maruja, who was originally from Spain.

Political career

Sutherland stood as a candidate for Fine Gael in the 1973 general election representing the Dublin North-West area. He garnered 1,969 first-preference votes, accounting for 6.2%, but did not secure election.

Attorney General of Ireland

He held office as Attorney General of Ireland initially from June 1981 to March 1982, then again from December 1982 until December 1984.

European Commissioner

Appointed to the European Commission in 1985, Sutherland oversaw competition policy and had initial responsibility for education. He is credited with proposing the creation of the influential Erasmus Programme, which promotes student mobility throughout Europe.

He chaired the committee responsible for drafting the Sutherland Report on finalizing the Internal Market of the European Economic Community (EEC), which was presented to the European Council in Edinburgh in 1992.

As the youngest individual ever appointed European Commissioner, he served during the first term of the Delors Commission, playing a critical role in deregulating competition across airline, telecommunications, and energy industries. Furthermore, he reinforced controls on state aid, exemplified by his involvement in the Boussac case.

GATT/WTO

In 1993, Sutherland assumed leadership as Director-General of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, now known as the World Trade Organization. Subsequently, former United States Trade Representative Mickey Kantor praised him as a pioneer of globalisation, asserting that without Sutherland’s contributions, the WTO would not exist. The Uruguay Round of trade negotiations concluded in December 1993 under his chairmanship produced a "comprehensive, rules-based and global trade regime," representing history’s largest trade agreement and laying the foundation for the WTO. His indispensable role during these talks was widely acknowledged. By employing innovative strategies—such as engaging media outlets aggressively—he generated unprecedented momentum beyond previous GATT efforts.

Craig VanGrasstek’s 2013 publication from the Harvard Kennedy School, released by the WTO as The History and Future of the World Trade Organization, elaborates on Sutherland’s central influence in creating and shaping this institution.

VanGrasstek highlights how Sutherland transformed the Director-General position by directly interacting with heads of state rather than limiting engagement to ministers—thereby increasing negotiating power and political influence. Additionally, he chaired the Advisory Council to the Director-General, which authored a significant report on WTO's future released in 2005.

Business career

From 1989 until 1993, Sutherland held the position of chairman at Allied Irish Banks (AIB). He also fulfilled the role of non-executive chairman at Goldman Sachs International up to June 2015 and served as non-executive chairman of BP until June 2009, when Carl-Henric Svanberg succeeded him. His directorship extended to the Royal Bank of Scotland Group prior to its government acquisition, and he was a board member at ABB. Between 1989 and July 1993, he acted as a non-executive director for the construction materials company CRH plc, which was later penalized for its involvement in a European cement cartel.

Sutherland was a member of the steering committee for the Bilderberg Group until May 2014. He held significant leadership roles within the Trilateral Commission, serving as Honorary Chairman from 2010 and as Chairman for Europe from 2001 to 2010. Additionally, he was vice chairman of the European Round Table of Industrialists between 2006 and 2009.

He led the Board of Governors at the European Institute of Public Administration from 1991 through 1996 and held the title of Honorary President at the European Movement Ireland. From 1998 to 2005, Sutherland provided counsel on international affairs to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive.

In 2000, he authored what became known as the Sutherland Report concerning Portugal’s transfer of sovereignty over Macao to China. His leadership extended to various think tanks, including his presidency at the Federal Trust for Education and Research, chairmanship of The Ireland Fund of Great Britain from 2001 to 2009, and membership on the advisory council of Business for New Europe, a British pro-European organization.

Elected to the Royal Irish Academy in 2002, Sutherland contributed to the UN-supported Commission on Human Security in 2003. He was named Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in 2005. Between 2008 and February 2015, he chaired the London School of Economics Council and also participated on the International Advisory Board of Spain’s IESE Business School.

In 2006, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed him as Special Representative for Migration. In this capacity, he championed the Global Forum on Migration and Development, which received endorsement from UN member states in September 2006 and was officially inaugurated in Brussels in July 2007.

On December 5, 2006, Sutherland was designated financial adviser to the Vatican's Extraordinary Section of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See. Two years later, in 2008, he was honored with a Papal knighthood (KCSG).

He co-led a High Level Group commissioned by Germany, the UK, Indonesia, and Turkey that produced a report in May 2011 addressing the conclusion of the Doha Round and outlining prospects for future multilateral trade negotiations.

In May 2012, Sutherland assumed the role of Honorary President at the Brussels-based independent think tank known as the European Policy Centre.

Later years

In early 2010, Sutherland disclosed that he had undergone significant surgery for throat cancer in August 2009, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments. A dedicated supporter of European integration, he expressed regret over not being able to actively participate in campaigning for a Yes vote during the second Lisbon Treaty referendum.

He commended Fianna Fáil politician Brian Lenihan, anticipating Lenihan’s potential emergence as a prominent taoiseach in the twenty-first century. According to Sutherland, Ireland’s economic prosperity was largely confined to a "sparkling period" spanning from 1994 to 2002, fueled by EU reforms that enhanced free movement across goods, capital, and services.

In November 2010, he was appointed co-chair of an Experts Group established by Germany, Great Britain, Indonesia, and Turkey tasked with combating protectionism and advancing global trade. This group released its interim findings at Davos in January 2011.

Although twice offered the position of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees by Kofi Annan, Sutherland declined on both occasions due to other obligations. Reflecting on his career highlights, he cited his contributions at GATT and his role in launching the Erasmus student exchange programme during his brief tenure as European Commissioner for Education in 1986 as among his most fulfilling accomplishments.

Death

In September 2016, while attending a church service in London, Sutherland experienced a heart attack. Half a year later, due to declining health, he stepped down from his role as UN Special Representative for International Migration. Following a lengthy illness, he passed away in Dublin on 7 January 2018 at the age of 71, succumbing to complications related to an infection.

Immigration policy

Sutherland was a fervent proponent of open immigration policies within the European Union. During his evidence to the UK's House of Lords Home Affairs Committee on 21 June 2012, he advocated for the unrestricted movement of people for employment and education across member states. He criticized EU countries for favoring "highly skilled" migrants while limiting entry for those with lower skills. He underscored migration as an essential engine for economic progress, even in the face of public opposition.

His stance emphasized the necessity of collective EU collaboration on migration matters, asserting that no single nation could effectively manage migration independently. Viewing multiculturalism as both inevitable and advantageous, Sutherland argued that nations must embrace increasing diversity. He maintained that the EU should confront ideas of national uniformity, particularly given demographic challenges such as ageing or shrinking native populations in countries like Germany and southern Europe, which reinforce the imperative for multicultural societies.

Together with Cecilia Malmström, he co-authored "Europe's Immigration Challenge," highlighting Europe's labor market shortages despite high unemployment rates. They pointed out gaps in professions including engineering, medicine, nursing, agriculture, and healthcare support roles, alongside a continuous demand for entrepreneurs to stimulate economic development.

In June 2014, Sutherland was named President of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC).

Honours, awards and honorary doctorates

Sutherland was honored with fifteen honorary doctorates from institutions throughout Europe and North America.

Orders

His distinctions encompassed:


Other

External links




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