Northern Ireland Bureau
The Northern Ireland Bureau (NI Bureau) is part of the Executive Office of Northern Ireland, and the senior staff are Civil Servants of the United Kingdom in Northern Ireland. It works to develop and deepen links between economic, educational, cultural, and community development interests between Northern Ireland and both the United States and Canada.
About
The former Director of the Bureau, Norman Houston, outlined the NI Bureau's primary goal: "Our primary goal is to promote Northern Ireland to the United States as a confident, capable, and outwardly looking region. Many organizations and individuals in the United States have supported developments in Northern Ireland over the years and there is a very positive response to Northern Ireland. It is important to recognize that this relationship has changed and continues to evolve.”[1]
The Director was Norman Houston, until he retired in late 2019.[2]
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Bureau are to:
- Develop a positive profile of Northern Ireland among US policy-makers and opinion-formers by ensuring that the policies of the Northern Ireland Administration and its associated institutions are known and understood;
- Monitor policy developments in the US, ensuring that Northern Ireland Ministers and departments have up-to-date information, and are aware of opportunities for cooperation;
- And pursue areas of collaboration and partnership identified by the above exchanges, and encourage their development in ways that maximize the mutual benefits."[3]
See also
References
- "About the Bureau | Northern Ireland Bureau". Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2008. NI Bureau
- http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/principal-establishment-and-finance-officer OFMDFM
- http://www.nibureau.com/index/about-the-bureau/our-role.htm NI Bureau