Seven appointments have been made to the board of the International Fund for Ireland, the Government has announced.
The Irish and British Governments jointly make the appointments to the board of the fund, which was set up in 1986 to promote economic and social ties between unionists and nationalists.
The new chair of the board is Paddy Harte, a lecturer in Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) who is also a joint director of a cross-border masters in innovation and leadership in the public sector, which is delivered by Ulster University and LYIT.
He succeeds the previous chair of the board, Dr Adrian Johnston, who is stepping down from the fund.
He is joined on the board by Avila Kilmurray, Richard O’Rawe, Hilary Singleton, Bernie Butler, Allen McAdam and Sadie Ward McDermott. Alongside Mr Harte, Ms Singleton and Mr Macadam are being reappointed to the board for a second term.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said that both governments “expressed their very warm appreciation for the services given by the outgoing board members… particular thanks is due to Dr Adrian Johnston who has shown exceptional leadership of the board through his service as chairman for the last seven years.”
Also stepping down from the board are Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Billy Gamble and Dorothy Clarke, who the department thanked for “their commitment to the work of the international fund for Ireland throughout their tenure”.
The fund is focused on projects in Border counties. It provides funding for projects designed to promote economic and social advance in communities that suffer from high levels of economic and social deprivation.
Contributors to the fund are the United States, the EU, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.