Queen's to mark 25 years of Good Friday Agreement in 2023
- Published
Hillary Clinton, pictured with Prof Ian Greer, says there will be discussions about the next 25 years
A conference marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement deal is set to take place at Queen's University Belfast next year.
The 1998 deal helped to end 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland.
The last Belfast Agreement conference the university hosted was in 2018, marking its 20th anniversary.
It was attended by key players in the talks including former US President Bill Clinton, former PM Sir Tony Blair and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
Hillary Clinton, who is chancellor of Queen's, said the conference would provide an opportunity to "rightly reflect on the significant achievements made since 1998".
The former US secretary of state was installed as Queen's University's first female chancellor in September.
"More importantly, we can discuss how we shape what the next 25 years of life in the region will look like," she said.
"Our students and alumni at Queen's are well placed not only to contribute to that discussion, but also to lead the way in building a better future for everyone in our community."
The 20-year anniversary was attended by former US president Bill Clinton, former UK PM Sir Tony Blair and former Irish PM Bertie Ahern
Speaking on Tuesday, Sir Tony said he was "delighted" the event would be taking place in 2023.
"The 25th anniversary is an appropriate time to reflect on the progress that Northern Ireland has made over the past quarter of a century and to discuss how the region can make further progress and tackle the many current challenges facing its people in the years ahead," he added.
Prof Ian Greer, president and vice-chancellor of Queen's, said the university was "privileged" to mark the anniversary.
He said the event would pay tribute to the "significant achievements" of the then local political leaders and the governments of the UK, Ireland and the US.
He said the event would "provide an opportunity for dialogue and reflection on the success of the peace process alongside a timely debate on how we as a community take the next steps to building a shared future which focuses on delivering socioeconomic progress for everyone".
What is the Good Friday Agreement?
Mr Ahern said he looked forward to attending next year's event.
"The conference will be an important and timely forum to celebrate the significant achievements of everyone involved in the Peace Process and also to engage with young people to hear their views on how we build a better future for everyone who shares these islands," he said.
The conference, which is being organised jointly by the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice and the university's Public Engagement Directorate, will take place on 17 and 18 April 2023.
- Published5 October 2020
