Seminar
Event

Reflections on Belfast/Good Friday Agreement: Seminar Series Programme. Seminar 3 - Reflections on Belfast/Good Friday Agreement & Rights

Northern Ireland Assembly RaISe

NI Assembly RaISe

This is a free event
Get ready to immerse yourself in a thought-provoking seminar series as we reflect on the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement's 25th anniversary. The Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, along with the Assembly’s Research and Information Service (RaISe) and local universities, will lead the discussions. Our academic presenters will share insights from their areas of expertise and explore key themes, including power-sharing, the economy, reconciliation, rights, and gender. After each presentation, we'll open the floor to discussion. These seminars are open to everyone, so secure your seat as soon as possible. The series will run from the end of April through early June 2023 on specified Wednesdays, starting at 1:30pm. We'll be hosting the events in the Senate Chamber of Parliament Buildings, located on Stormont Estate. Please be aware that Parliament Buildings is a public building, and there may be photography, filming, and recording in its public spaces. Don't worry; we'll be recording all the presentations, but not the group discussions. If you prefer to sit away from the camera, just let us know. Free parking is available, but make sure you give yourself enough time to walk from the car park and pass through Assembly Security before entering Parliament Buildings. We're committed to fulfilling our responsibilities to those with special needs, including wheelchair accessibility. Please let us know if you have any specific requirements when registering. To secure your spot at these insightful seminars, please register at RaISeCSU@niassembly.gov.uk.

Wednesday, 10 May 2023

Seminar 3 - Reflections on Belfast/Good Friday Agreement & Rights

1.30pm Attendee Registration

1.45pm Welcome & Housekeeping – Emma Dellow-Perry, RaISe

1.50pm “The Belfast Good Friday Agreement and Transformative Change: Promise, Power and Solidarity” - Professor Rory O’Connell (Ulster University), Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin (Queen’s University Belfast and University of Minnesota) and Dr Lina Malagón (University of Wales Trinity Saint David)

In 2023, the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement marks its 25th anniversary. For many the Agreement projects a global image of a successfully concluded end to a conflict. However, key aspects of the Agreement remain under-enforced or simply undelivered, in particular, those provisions related to significant and wide-ranging guarantees addressing human rights and equality of opportunity. As a result, socio-economic and cultural deficits persist, undermining the capacity to achieve a “positive peace”. In this presentation, we consider what transformative potential the Agreement had, and to what extent it has been transformative? What has stymied transformation? Where are levers to support transformative change?

The presentation draws on a paper forthcoming in the Israel Law Review. The research for that paper was supported by the Research Hub on Gender, Justice and Security led by London School of Economics, which is funded by the United Kingdom Research and Innovation Global Challenges Research Fund. Professor Rory O’Connell will present the paper on behalf of his colleagues.

2:10pm “A Way Forward for a Consensus Approach on Human Rights in Northern Ireland” - Professor Brice Dickson, Queen’s University Belfast

This presentation considers key reasons for the current lack of consensus on how best to protect human rights in Northern Ireland. It draws on academic study of Northern Ireland’s experience over the last 25 years since the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, as well as lessons learned from other jurisdictions. Examining a way forward, it considers whether the lack of consensus arises from a failure of imagination and flexibility?; whether a programme of constructive engagement, with less suspicion and division, could better enable all and improve the lives of a lot of people living in Northern Ireland?; and, whether such a programme could help to fulfil human rights obligations enshrined in the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement?

2.30pm Discussion/Question & Answer

3.15pm Closing Remarks - Emma Dellow-Perry, RaISe

3:20pm Refreshments & Networking

3.40pm Close

Date and Time

  • -

Location

Parliament Buildings
Stormont
Belfast
BT4 3XX
United Kingdom

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Contact Details

RaISeCSU@niassembly.gov.uk

More Information

https://www.gfa25.com/lectures