There are Historic Conferences and Then There is Agreement 25
By Ian Greer
It was on the afternoon of the third and final day of this event, organized and hosted by Queen's University Belfast to mark the quarter century since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, that the scale of our achievement really hit me.
First to speak that afternoon was our Chancellor, Hillary Rodham Clinton. She was followed by Charles Michel, President of the European Council. Then came Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. After her — the 42nd President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton.
But we weren’t finished yet. Next — the Taoiseach of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, and finally — the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak.
An extraordinary group of global leaders bringing a message of peace and encouragement — people whose engagement diaries are timed to the nanosecond months and years ahead, all in the one place at the one time.
And they weren’t the only ones. Earlier in the week, we’d had significant contributions from the former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, from the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and, perhaps most memorably and movingly, from Senator George Mitchell, our former Chancellor and US envoy to Northern Ireland all those years ago, the man who did so much as chairman of the peace talks to shepherd the agreement across the line.
What the presence of all these people tells us is that building, maintaining and strengthening peace in Northern Ireland is important to them and to the world. What was achieved 25 years ago is a testament to the power of democracy to transcend divisions, what can be achieved when people work together for a common goal and find a better way for everyone.
It was appropriate for Queen’s to be the setting for Agreement 25. For the past 25 years, Northern Ireland has been on a journey. Queen’s has been a guiding light on that journey, enabling change for the better through the work of our people in every part of our university — like the Senator George J.Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice and our Centre for Shared Education. It was a wonderful occasion during the conference when our Chancellor travelled to Limavady in County Derry and met the staff, pupils and families at a new campus being shared by two high schools from two communities.
I am proud of the commitment and dedication of everyone involved over the past year as they put the building blocks of the conference into place. I know it wasn’t easy.
Anyone visiting Belfast for the first time during the conference or returning after a period away will have found it a very different place from the one in their imagination. There are no soldiers on the streets, no security checks, no bomb scares, real or bogus. Instead there is a new landscape and a new confidence in the air.
Today the global image of Northern Ireland is different and so is the reality. People want to come here on holiday, to live here, to work here. We have a thriving film and television industry, tourists are arriving from all over the world, Belfast is a UNESCO city of music.
Queen’s is an engine of growth for Northern Ireland. Through our activities we generate around £3bn for the economy of the whole of the UK. Agreement 25 celebrated the contribution of all those who worked so tirelessly and courageously to create the climate in which that growth could take place.
But the conference wasn’t simply an occasion to reflect on the achievements of the past — it was a moment to look ahead, to consider how we will sustain that climate, to engage in dialogue on the major issues that will impact on Northern Ireland in the next 25 years. And it provided a platform for the next generation of young leaders — like Emma Murphy, President of the Queen’s Students Union, who made the first speech on the first day.
We were delighted to partner with the GFCC and the Council on Competitiveness for day three of the conference. ‘Reimagine’ Northern Ireland Vision 2050 focused on enhancing the economic prospects of Northern Ireland and included a fascinating panel discussion on ‘Global Northern Ireland’ expertly chaired by the Rt. Hon Deborah Wince Smith.
‘Reimagine’ also provided a platform for the next generation of young leaders — like Emma Murphy, President of the Queen’s Students Union, who made the first speech on the first day.
Emma is typical of our students. They are committed to the community around them and to the wider world. Each year, 11,000 of them are involved in volunteering activities that benefit the lives of others. They will go on to play a part in our changing society and make their mark at home and across the world.
They were not born when the Good Friday Agreement was signed but they deserve to reap the awards and fulfil its promise.
As Emma said in her speech ‘For us there is no going back. Let us keep moving forward.’
Professor Ian Greer is President and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast
