Women’s participation in a peace process is pivotal to a final agreement in order to ensure that any such accord incorporates issues which would make peace more sustainable, two women peace activists, involved in the Northern Ireland peace process, tell CNA, ahead of their visit to Cyprus.
“Had we not been present, there would have been many issues missing from the final accord particularly in relation to issues that create a more sustainable peace,” Monica McWilliams and Avila Kilmurray have said.
Both women, one from Northern Ireland and one from Ireland, were signatories of the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed on 10th April 1998 and ratified on both sides of the divide a month later.
Asked about the purpose of their visit here, from 21-26 September, they said they come to Cyprus to draw on the lessons from women involved in the Northern Ireland peace process, including the role played in the negotiations leading to the Good Friday Agreement and the issues involved in implementing the proposals from that agreement.
Comparisons will be made with the Cypriot case in relation to what worked and what could have been done better, they noted.
With regard to their meetings on the island, they said they would meet women from both sides to discuss the process of how women in Northern Ireland came together to form a Women’s Coalition, a political grouping that managed to reach commonality on interests of concern to women on both sides.
Referring to their current involvement in peace making in Northern Ireland, they explained that Monica McWilliams is a Commissioner on the Independent Reporting Commission for the disbandment of paramilitary organisations and remains involved in the implementation of the peace agreement on the Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland and reconciliation issues. She has recently completed a large scale study on what difference peace makes to women’s lives in Northern Ireland.
Avila Kilmurray, they noted, has 20 years experience in community philanthropy that supported community based work with women`s groups and supporting victims of the Troubles and the reintegration of political ex-prisoners.
Invited to assess their input into the Good Friday Agreement, both women said they were signatories of the Good Friday Agreement and pointed out that “had we not been present there would have many issues missing from the final accord particularly in relation to issues that create a more sustainable peace.”
