Gorka Espiau Idoiaga

Gorka Espiau is a visiting Professor at McGill University in Montreal and Director of International Relations at The Young Foundation, a non-profit think tank on social innovation based in London. At the same time, Espiau is a Senior Fellow at Agirre Lehendakaria Center for Social and Political Studies, a collaborative Project between the University of the Basque Country (EHU/UPV) and Columbia University in New York, which undertakes research on the Basque social and economic transformation under violence and conflict circumstances.

Previous to these positions Gorka Espiau was as an advisor to the Basque Government on Peace and Reconciliation issues and member of Elkarri, a citizen network for the dialogue and social agreement in the Basque Country.

Gorka Espiau is also an author of numerous articles and papers on the Basque Peace Process, including “Emerging Peacebuilding Trends” (ICIP Catalonia. December 2010); “The Peace Processes in the Basque Country and Northern Ireland (1994-2006): a Comparative" (ICIP working papers, March 2010); “Konpondu Initiative” at “Citizen participation: the new policy culture within the context of shared leadership" (Provincial Council of Gipuzko, 2008. ISBN 978-84-7907-611-5); and “The Basque Conflict: New Ideas and Prospects for Peace Special Report 121” (The United States Institute of Peace. April 2006).

Gorka Espiau has also directed and written several documentaries on the Basque conflict, such as “Pluja Seca” (Dry Rain) and “Parlen els ulls” (The eyes speak), produced by the public television of Catalonia (TV3) in 2011 and 2012.