Wednesday 28 March 2018

 

British Council’s international Peace and Beyond conference will be held in Belfast next month to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement.

Taking place from April 10-12 on the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, the conference provides an opportunity to look beyond Northern Ireland - and towards other international models of peacebuilding in countries including South Africa, Colombia, Lebanon, and the Western Balkans.

Speakers will include South African advocate Thuli Madonsela, who worked closely with former President Nelson Mandela on the final constitution of South Africa; Professor Monica McWilliams, who played a significant role in the negotiation of the 1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement and Senator George J. Mitchell, President Bill Clinton’s former Special Envoy for Northern Ireland.

Across the three days, there will be a series of lectures, plenary sessions, workshops, site visits and cultural events across Belfast around international peacebuilding, and will include; a civic reception at Belfast City Hall on the evening of April 10, the awarding of the Christopher Ewart Biggs memorial prize* – which is in memory of the UK’s ambassador to Ireland, and a series of visits to grassroots organisations on April 12.

The conference will cover key topics including building resilient cities, the role of technology, engendering peacebuilding and marginalised communities.

The conference is organised by the British Council in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University, and in association with the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building, and will bring an exciting and diverse line-up of speakers to Northern Ireland in a bid to create international dialogue around peacebuilding.

Speaking about the conference was Jonathan Stewart, Director, British Council Northern Ireland. He said: “‘International cultural relations are at the heart of the British Council’s work so we are really pleased to have convened this conference to address the challenges of peace processes across the globe. 

“The conference will draw on a wide range of expertise from Northern Ireland. In spite of local setbacks, the experience of the NI peace process is of enormous international interest. But of course our focus will also be on the global and looking to the future.

“We have an impressive and diverse line-up of speakers from other post conflict countries such as South Africa and Colombia who will share their experiences.”

Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Nuala McAllister said: “It’s important that we take time to pause and reflect on how far we’ve come since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, and to look ahead to how we, as a society, can build on that historical peace that was achieved, two decades ago.

“Belfast has changed a lot in 20 years; and it has changed for the better. Like other young people of my generation, I have enjoyed the benefits of peace. We want Belfast to be a progressive, global city; open, welcoming and inclusive.

“We have witnessed its reputation change and now Belfast is rightly regarded as a good place to live, work and invest in. We must continue to build on that momentum and ensure that Belfast, and indeed Northern Ireland, continues to flourish so that generations to come can be assured of a bright future.

“I’m really looking forward to hearing the speakers and I’m delighted that delegates from all around the world will be hosted at City Hall for part of the conference.” 

The closing lecture will take place at Ulster University.

Professor Duncan Morrow, Director of Community Engagement, Ulster University, said: “Peace, conflict and reconciliation is a key research area at Ulster University and we are delighted to be a part of this conference which gathers practitioners, academics, policy makers and young leaders from across the world.

Peace and Beyond is about building effective, inclusive and sustainable peace. As Northern Ireland’s civic university our campuses are enshrined in their local communities.  We are proud to produce globally significant research with local relevance. This conference is an excellent opportunity to reflect on peace and conflict interventions, showcase learning from Northern Ireland and hear case studies from countries across the world.”

Professor Hastings Donnan, Director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University, commented: “The twentieth anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is a pivotal moment to take stock of the critical thinking and leadership that have served us well in our transition to peace in Northern Ireland. Through this conference we aim to reflect on Northern Ireland’s experience and draw on its comparative lessons for conflict transformation and peacebuilding across the globe.

“The Institute is therefore delighted to partner with the British Council and Ulster University to mark such a significant anniversary.  Named after the distinguished US diplomat, Senator George J. Mitchell, who is renowned for his contribution to the Northern Ireland Peace Process, the Institute is committed to addressing the global challenge of building a peaceful, secure and inclusive world.”

Also speaking about the conference was Eva Grosman, CEO, Centre for Democracy and Peace Building.

 She said: “It is vital that we recognise the work that was carried out around the Good Friday / Belfast Agreement peace accord and in the years that followed. However, we must acknowledge that there is much more work to do.

 “Through Peace and Beyond we will explore with like-minded colleagues, from home and around the world, challenges in implementing peace processes and how progress can be made in spite of political and other set-backs.

 “We will have a significant international audience with us for the duration of the conference who will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in local projects and initiatives as well as hear from some of the key players from 20 years ago.”

 To register, or for more information and the full programme, visit https://www.britishcouncil.org/peace-and-beyond.

You can follow the conversation on Twitter through #peaceandbeyond or through following @BCouncil_NI.

 

Notes to Editor

Speakers will include:

  • Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela - Senior Research Professor at the University of the Free State and former member of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission
  • Senator George J. Mitchell, President Bill Clinton’s former Special Envoy for Northern Ireland
  • Professor Monica McWilliams – Emeritus Professor, Transitional Justice Institute. Founder of Northern Ireland’s Women’s Coalition
  • Lord Alderdice – Director of the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict, University of Oxford, Chair of Centre for Democracy and Peace Building, former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
  • Onora O’Neill – Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, former President of the British Academy
  • Bekim Blakaj – Humanitarian law Centre, Kosovo
  • Bilal Al Ayoubi - The Forum for Cities in Transition
  • Diana Dajer - Lawyer, scholar and Build Peace Fellow (Colombia)
  • Lord Lothian – (Michael Ancram), Former Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office
  • Judith Thompson – Northern Ireland Victims’ Commissioner
  • Candice Mama – Peace and reconciliation ambassador (South Africa)
  • Professor Joanne Hughes – Director of the Centre for Shared Education in the School of Education at Queen’s University, Belfast, UNESCO Chair for Globalising Shared Education
  • Dr. Sanda Rašković Ivić - Former president of the Democratic Party of Serbia, and former Commissioner for Refugees (Serbia)
  • Sinead McSweeney, Managing Director EMEA, Twitter

 

*Christopher Ewart Biggs memorial prize

The Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, worth £5,000, is awarded biennially. The prize was created in 1977, in memory of Christopher Ewart-Biggs, British Ambassador to Ireland, who was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1976.

Founded by Jane Ewart-Biggs following the death of her husband, its stated goal is to promote peace and reconciliation in Ireland, a greater understanding between the peoples of the United Kingdom and Ireland, or closer co-operation between partners of the European Community.

It is awarded to a book, a play or a piece of journalism that best fulfills this aim, published during a two-year period up to December 31 of the year preceding the year in which the prize is awarded.

About the British Council

British Council Northern Ireland creates international opportunities for the people of Northern Ireland and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are a Royal Charter charity, established as the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Our 7000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes.  A quarter of our funding comes from a UK government grant, and we earn the rest from services which customers pay for, education and development contracts we bid for, and from partnerships. For more information, please visit: http://nireland.britishcouncil.org

You can also keep in touch with British Council Northern Ireland through https://twitter.com/BCouncil_NI, www.facebook.com/britishcouncilnorthernireland and http://blog.britishcouncil.org.

 

For further information please contact: 

Claire McAuley, Communications Manager, British Council Northern Ireland

T +44 (0) 28 9019 2224 | M +44 (0) 7856524504  Claire.McAuley@britishcouncil.org

Chris Brown , Director, Brown O’Connor Communications              

E: chris@brownoconnor.com  M: 07801973320  DD: 028 90 316 540  Tw: @CB_PRandPA