- Prime Minister will enter second week of events to mark the
25th anniversary of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
- He will pay tribute to the “courage, imagination and
perseverance” of those who worked for peace and had the personal
courage to keep going.
- Inspiring young people born in or after 1998 will be welcomed
to a Gala Dinner hosted by the Prime Minister in Northern Ireland
on Wednesday evening.
- The agreement’s architects, signatories and their families -
as well as political leaders, international dignitaries and
leading charities - will also attend.
The Prime Minister will begin his second week of events to mark a
quarter of a century since the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement
was signed.
He will travel back to Belfast on Wednesday where he will
acknowledge the “courage, imagination and perseverance” of those
who engineered and supported the agreement, as part of the
closing keynote speech at the Queen’s University’s ‘Agreement 25’
conference.
As part of the Gala Dinner that evening, he will host the
remarkable young people who have made a real change to their
communities by demonstrating the spirit of the agreement. This
younger generation of volunteers make an outstanding contribution
to promoting reconciliation through integrated education, sport,
the arts and community service.
The Prime Minister will also meet with key architects of the
agreement, along with Irish and US representatives where he will
acknowledge the unique moment in our nation’s history.
Next week’s visit will be the Prime Minister’s fifth to Northern
Ireland since he has been in office, making it one of his most
visited locations.
The Prime Minister said: “This week we
continue to acknowledge the courage, imagination and perseverance
of those who built the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.
It gives me great pleasure to meet with some of the leading
architects of peace and to commemorate those who are no longer
with us.
“It is a tribute to the 1998 Agreement that we also see a younger
generation of inspirational people across Northern Ireland today.
Those who volunteer time and effort to actively make their
communities stronger.
“So this week I will also pay tribute to young people who have
continued to heal the wounds of a dark and difficult past, and
those who came before them and set the groundwork for a better
future.”
The agreement continues to enjoy huge international support and
the days ahead will see a spotlight on the peace, prosperity and
economic opportunity which have ensued from the commitment in
1998. This week will provide further opportunity to reflect and
discuss the ongoing transformation and progress across
communities in Northern Ireland.
Queen’s University’s ‘Agreement 25’ conference will start on
Monday and include speeches, panel discussions, plenary sessions
and collaborative events from former and current political
leaders.
The Gala Dinner will round off the recent period of events to
commemorate the anniversary and strengthen efforts to support our
vision for a prosperous 25 years ahead.
This follows President Biden’s visit to Belfast last week where
the Prime Minister and the President celebrated the progress that
Northern Ireland has made over the last quarter of a century and
recommitted to building an even brighter future for Northern
Ireland.
Notes to Editors:
- More information on the Queen’s University’s ‘Agreement 25’
conference is available here.
