On 26 November, DPI held its second online comparative study event entitled ‘Overcoming Challenges During Difficult Times in Conflict Resolution: The Northern Ireland Experience Part II’. This planned online CSE aimed to follow on from the first event held in October that introduced a new multi-faceted group of participants to key concepts and actors in the Northern Ireland peace process.
The event began with a keynote address from Dermot Ahern, former Minister of Foreign Affairs from the Republic of Ireland, who was directly involved in the peace process in Northern Ireland.
The session on the role of media was conducted by two former journalists, Andy Pollak and Deric Henderson, who spoke about their own experiences of reporting the Troubles.
Dr Martin McMullan and Sean Madden from Youth Action Northern Ireland, covered the topic of youth engagement in the Northern Irish peace process.
The last session of the online CSE examined the role of religious leaders in peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, with Bishop Trevor Williams as speaker, who discussed the work of the Corrymeela Community – a dispersed Christian community of Catholics and Protestants working towards reconciliation. The online comparative study event forms part of a larger series of activities planned in the context of the project: “Supporting inclusive dialogue at a challenging time in Turkey”, supported by the EU, the Norwegian and Irish government.