The second set of panellists this afternoon are also representing the parties which were involved in the agreement negotiations.

They are Lord Alderdice, former leader of the Alliance Party, Gary McMichael, former leader of the Ulster Democratic Party, Dawn Purvis, former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party and Ian Paisley Jnr, whose father Ian Paisley was leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and who is an MP for the party.

The speakers are asked to reflect on the “magic” of the Good Friday Agreement.

Monica McWilliams, co-leader of the Women’s Coalition back in 1998, pays tribute to the contribution of people outside Northern Ireland, especially US politicians and diplomats, who supported the peace process.

“For me the magic is friendship – the friendship across the Atlantic that has come time and time again to help us over every crisis, over every hurdle," she says.

"And I am certain that they are there now for us as we try to put the functioning government back up again."

Lord Empey tells the audience a number of factors came together which led to a greater push for peace by the mid-1990s.

“The population was getting completely fed up," he says

"You had effectively a new generation coming up and they couldn’t enjoy a proper lifestyle.

"They couldn’t go out, they were afraid of sending their children out at weekends to enjoy themselves and a weariness had crept in after so many years of violence.

“So that plus the economics of it, I think, put a lot of pressure on the political parties and the governments to find a way of doing things differently.”

He also argues that by that stage many paramilitary organisations had been compromised by informers.

Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams says the Good Friday Agreement "wasn't a destination, it was the beginning of a new journey".

He says one of the most important parts of the agreement was providing a pathway to Irish unification if it is voted for by the people of Northern Ireland.

Former deputy first minister and SDLP leader Mark Durkan says one of the reasons the agreement included a form of mandatory coalition at Stormont was that the negotiators knew it would have to be voted on in referendums on both sides of the Irish border.

He says he does not believe a more "traditional" method of government such as a volunary coalition would have got the same support.

We are back up and running for the afternoon at Queen's.

The next panel will be focused on some of the parties who negotiated the Good Friday Agreement.

Other parties will be represented in a second panel later.

Both panels are chaired by former US diplomat Nancy Soderberg.

She is joined on stage by former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, former deputy first minister Mark Durkan, former Ulster Unionist Party leader Lord Empey and the co-founder of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition Monica McWilliams.

Image source, PA

Former US President Bill Clinton posed for a photo as he arrived at the event at Queen's University.

Later he will take part in a panel with former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, chaired by his wife Hillary.

Image source, Getty Images/Alicia Llop

The Belfast conference is hearing directly from some of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement, but as 25 years have passed since the deal, some significant figures are no longer with us.

On Monday afternoon, the conference held an In Memoriam event, paying tribute to the politicians and party leaders who have died since the agreement was signed.

The people being remembered either played an important role in the 1998 talks, or made a major contribution to devolution in the years following the agreement.

The list will feature:

• David Ervine, former leader of the Progressive Unionist Party
• John Hume, former leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
• Seamus Mallon, former deputy first minister of Northern Ireland (SDLP)
• Martin McGuinness, former deputy first minister of Northern Ireland (Sinn Féin)
• Mo Mowlam, former secretary of state for Northern Ireland (Labour Party)
• Ian Paisley, former first minister of Northern Ireland (Democratic Unionist Party)
• David Trimble, former first minister of Northern Ireland (Ulster Unionist Party)

Politicians and diplomats have packed out Queen's University's Whitla Hall for the first day of a three-day event marking the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is also chancellor of Queen's University, was one of the first to address the crowd.

The gathering will hear from global leaders past and present who are reflecting on the success of the peace deal and the work which still needs to be done to safeguard the future of devolution at Stormont.

Image source, PA Images/Niall Carson

Image source, PA Images/Niall Carson

Image source, PA Images/ Niall Carson

Image source, PA Images/ Liam McBurney

Jessica Lawrence
BBC News NI, at Queen's University

Image source, Cormac Savage

It's been an early morning for most, but Cormac Savage's journey to the conference began last night.

His flight from Boston arrived at 08:00 this morning, and with no sleep he made it to Queen's just in time for Hillary Clinton's speech.

Cormac was born in 2003, some five years after the deal was agreed, and he says the atmosphere in the room is unlike any he has been in before.

"Everyone is reacting with such unity and gratitude to those speaking from the heart," he said.

Like others here, he says George Mitchell's speech will be a hard one to beat.

"It was the perfect balance of reflection while weaving in personal stories about his son and the other 67 babies born on the same day," he said.

"It was really emotional to hear, especially as a peace baby myself."

Jessica Lawrence
BBC News NI, at Queen's University

Image source, Jess Crisp

Among those lucky enough to have grabbed a seat in the Whitla Hall is law student Jess Crisp.

Growing up in England, she says she didn’t learn much about the Troubles and Northern Ireland.

But she adds to hear about the peace process straight from the mouths of those who created the landmark deal has been “absolutely fascinating”.

Although the afternoon session features a discussion between Sir Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern and President Bill Clinton, she had been most looking forward to George Mitchell’s keynote address.

“It was beautiful. To be in the room when he spoke honestly gave me chills.”

Image source, Reuters

• President Joe Biden made a visit to Belfast on his four-day trip to Ireland. To mark the anniversary he spoke at Ulster University’s Belfast campus. He said: “Peace was not inevitable – we can never forget that”.

• On Good Friday morning some of those who were bereaved during the conflict met on a beach in Killough in County Down at sunrise. The gathering was organised by the Wave Trauma Centre, which supports people who were injured or who lost loved ones during the Troubles.

Image source, PA Media

• MLAs past and present gathered for an event at Stormont on Good Friday. They listened to ex-US Senator George Mitchell tell them to “do whatever is necessary to preserve peace”.

Image source, Ros Kavanagh

• Large-scale silent video portraits of 14 politicians who negotiated the Good Friday Agreement are on display at Ulster University’s Belfast campus.“Agreement” by Amanda Dunsmore has been almost two decades in the making.

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor

Image source, PA Media

George Mitchell and the Good Friday Agreement are inextricably linked.

He considers himself the chief gatekeeper of the deal he helped broker 25 years ago.

Such is the bond the 89-year-old ignored health advice and travelled to Belfast to mark another milestone.

But this felt like George Mitchell saying goodbye to Northern Ireland.

He talked about his battle with acute leukaemia and how this was his first public engagement in three years.

Though he didn’t say it, those in the audience sensed this may be his last visit hence the extra-long standing ovation.

Image source, PA Media

While much of his speech was spent looking back and name checking all those who played a part in securing the deal, Mitchell did have a veiled message for those holding up Stormont’s return.

He referred to those he labelled “100 per centers” who see any compromise as a sign of weakness.

But compromise, he said, is essential for political progress.

Though he didn’t say it, those listening were left in no doubt as to who he had in mind.

Liz O'Donnell finishes off for the panel by saying that the people of Northern Ireland "have to have a government".

Lord Murphy adds a note of hope, saying "hope is the essential word".

"It is a struggle that will end in success," he says.

That concludes the morning's events - the conference will now break for lunch.

Stay with us for more updates during the lunch break and we will be back after 13:00 with the next event.

A quick look back at George Mitchell's speech from earlier, when he told the conference people from other countries, including the United States, were not in a position to lecture others about their disagreements.

Jonathan Powell also touches on Brexit and specifically the Windsor Framework, the recently-signed deal between the EU and UK to attempt to address post-Brexit issues related to Northern Ireland.

The Democratic Unionist Party has not supported it and is continuing its boycott of Stormont over its objections to the Northern Ireland Protocol - the original post-Brexit trading agreement.

“I hope and believe, they will find a way to make this work," Powell says.

“We have to find a way to make the political future succeed, that was the point of the Good Friday Agreeement.”

Mary McAleese meanwhile notes that Northern Ireland today is very different from when she grew up in Belfast.

"There you had an overwhelming Protestant/unionist majority - that has changed very dramatically.

"The question is does the Good Friday Agreement...have the residual strength to face the consequences of that changing demographic?"

Jonathan Powell says the peace process taught him that a piece of paper does not make two communities trust each other.

"The process of implementation is just as important as the negotiation," he says.

Lord Murphy says it was important in 1998 that both the UK and Ireland were in the European Union.

Brexit was a “torpedo” and it created a new “constitutional situation” he argues.

Tim O'Connor says the Good Friday Agreement negotiations were different to what went before because they were "inclusive in terms of those included around the table and comprehensive on the issues".

He says the development of a role for the Irish government in talks over peace in Northern Ireland, which developed gradually over the years, was crucial.

Liz O'Donnell adds that despite the many successes of the agreement it is a pity that the institutions created by it have not reen stable.

She says NI can only prosper, receive inward investment and live the dream of the agreement if the institutions are democratic and stable.

Lord Murphy, who was a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Office during the Good Friday Agreement negotiations, says there was a "change of atmosphere" after new governments took office in Dublin and London in 1997.

“The fact that these two new governments were in this together made a big difference at that point," he says.

“There was a great feeling of hope."

Liz O'Donnell says the two governments had "a feeling of urgency to stop the killing".

She says the current generation of politicians should revisit the urgency and commitment that drove them on in the late 1990s.

Next up on the stage is a panel representing the two governments involved in the agreement.

The panel is chaired by the former Irish President Mary McAleese, she is joined by former Northern Ireland Secretary Lord Murphy, former Irish diplomat Tim O'Connor, former Irish Foreign Affairs junior minister Liz O'Donnell and Jonathan Powell, former chief of staff to Tony Blair.

Image source, PA

Senator Mitchell concludes his speech by thanking the people of Northern Ireland for their warmth and generosity.

He says he and his wife "love Northern Ireland, the people and the place"

"Don't let it slip away" are among the senators final words as he receives a loud round of applause from the audience.