There are two events on Dealing with the Past on September 15 and 16 that are of interest:
Invitation to the Launch of Gender Principles for Dealing with the Legacy of the Past
Tuesday 15 September 2015
10.30am – 1pm
Room 115
Parliament Buildings, Stormont
The absence of a gendered lens and the sustained exclusion of women in dealing with the past—from Eames-Bradley to Haass-O’Sullivan and now the Stormont House Agreement —has meant that the gendered impact of the conflict and postconflict
legacy needs of women have not been adequately addressed in processes to deal with the past.
The Stormont House Agreement is the latest agreement outlining structures to deal with the past in Britain and Ireland. The Gender Principles seek to contribute to the effectiveness, quality and scope of what the Agreement could potentially deliver.
The Gender Principles for Dealing with the Legacy of the Past is an independent initiative made up of a diverse multidisciplinary group of individuals with different perspectives and affiliations. The initiative is supported by the Reconciliation Fund of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Lunch will be provided.
Please RSVP to confirm your attendance to Philipp Schulz
(Schulz-P@email.ulster.ac.uk).
This event has kindly been sponsored by Paula Bradley MLA and Megan Fearon
MLA, members of the All Party Group on Women, Peace and Security
Save the date
Dealing with the Past in Northern Ireland:
Implementing the Stormont House Agreement
Launch of Conference Report and Model Implementation Bill
Wednesday 16 September 2015
10am-12 noon
Conor Lecture Theatre, Ulster University, York Street
Organised by Amnesty International Northern Ireland, the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), Institute of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice (QUB) and the Transitional Justice Institute (Ulster University)
The December 2014 Stormont House Agreement provides for a set of new institutions to deal with the past in Northern Ireland namely:
– The Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) ‘an independent body to take forward investigations into outstanding Troubles-related deaths’
– An Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR) ‘to enable victims and survivors to seek and privately receive information about the deaths of their next of kin’
– An Oral History Archive ‘ to provide a central place to share experiences and narratives related to the Troubles’
– An Implementation and Reconciliation Group ‘to oversee themes, archives, and information recovery’
The SHA also provides that recommendations for services for victims and survivors including a Mental Trauma Service.
The implementation of the above SHA commitments will require detailed legislation. Government has committed to introducing this legislation into Westminster in October. On the 18 May 2015 a major conference was held to discuss, examine and provide an independent perspective on the key elements of such legislation.
This included presentation of elements of a draft Model Bill to implement the Agreement prepared by a drafting team comprised of representatives of the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ), individual academics, visiting scholars from the Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University.
The final Model bill, amended following discussion and feedback at the conference will also be launched at this event.
To book a place at this event please email Emma Patterson- Bennett emma@caj.org.uk or call 02890 316000