ICTJ Activity

Since its inception in 2001 the ICTJ has been periodically engaged in Northern Ireland. Former ICTJ President Alex Boraine traveled to Belfast in June 2001 to meet with members of government and civil society. There he consulted with civil society leaders as they were founding a new NGO, Healing Through Remembering, which has a mandate to work with government, religious representatives, and civil society to respond constructively to past conflict. The Center also maintains regular contact with the Transitional Justice Institute at the University of Ulster and collaborates on conferences and other programming opportunities as they arise.

In January 2005 Priscilla Hayner was invited to make a submission at a hearing of the UK Parliament's Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in London as part of an inquiry into reconciliation for Northern Ireland. Beforehand making the submission, she traveled to Belfast to meet with those working on these issues in Northern Ireland and pushed for broad consultation by the Committee.

While recognizing that local organizations and individuals working on these issues play the lead role and are eminently equipped to do so, the Center continues to consult with relevant parties and monitor developments in Northern Ireland in an effort to identify and support the most appropriate ways to respond to the country's long history of violence.

Background

For more than 30 years the six counties that comprise Northern Ireland have experienced death and injury arising from a legacy of discrimination and disagreement over the country's political status. Between 1966 and 1999 more than 3600 people were killed and 36,000 injured as the conflict spread beyond Northern Ireland's borders into England and elsewhere. Most of the victims have been civilians.

Since 1997 a political process has evolved, beginning with a fragile ceasefire, followed by the historic Good Friday Agreement of April 1998, paving the way for the devolution of power and power sharing in Northern Ireland. In July 2005 the Provisional Irish Republican Association (IRA) released a statement unilaterally announcing the end of its armed campaign, promising full disarmament, and committing itself to the political process. In fits and starts the process held, culminating in May 2007 in what appeared to be the definitive end of Westminster's direct rule of Northern Ireland.

In June 2007 an independent Consultative Group on the Past was established to collect ideas on how to deal with the legacies of the Troubles, and provide a platform for people to express their views of the past. It conducted wide consultations including meetings with victims' groups and other interested parties, and is scheduled to present its report and recommendations by summer 2008.

(Updated March 2008)