Mr. Sutherland, who was also a former director general of the GATT and oversaw its transition into the WTO died after a short illness, in St. James’ Hospital, Dublin.
In recent years Sutherland served as the UN’s special representative for migration and was outspoken in his demands for Ireland and Europe in general to adopt an open borders policy in the vain of Sweden and encourage mass migration into the continent.
Sutherland was also a staunch Europhile and was a strong advocate for European federalism and the abandonment of nationalism and national sovereignty, which he stated the founding fathers of the EU believed were “evil” concepts.
Sutherland had suggested that through mass migration the “homogeneity” or national identity of European nations could be undermined, thus reducing resistance to the centralization of power in Brussels.
Tributes have been paid to Mr. Sutherland from both President Higgins and Taoiseach Varadkar
He is survived by his wife Maruja, his three children and ten grandchildren.