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Visit to the Academy by the Centre of Peace and Democracy NI

07 February 2023

Political and Civic Fellows from all walks of life, from Northern Ireland, associated with the Centre of Peace and Democracy paid a visit to the Academy.

On Thursday, 26th of January, over 20 Political and Civic leaders from across the political spectrum in Northern Ireland visited the Royal Irish Academy as part of a cross-border tour of Dublin. The Fellows are members of the Centre for Peace and Democracy. 

The Centre's aim, in their own words,

'The purpose of the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building is to uphold and share the values and principles of democracy in order to build peace, stability and reconciliation.'

The Fellowship programme consists of,

‘The Fellowship is an independent and non-partisan executive programme for 24 political and civic leaders from Northern Ireland, which aims to strengthen democracy and to ensure that the current and future cadres of political leaders in Northern Ireland are best placed to lead into the next decade and navigate through complexity.’

The Policy and International Affairs Unit, alongside Gerry McKenna MRIA (Senior Vice President RIA), gave a series of presentations that encompassed the history of the Academy and the many ongoing projects and research pieces that the Policy and International Affairs Unit are engaged in.

There was particular interest by the Fellows in the ongoing work of the Higher Education Taskforce and the Shared Island-funded research project into Higher Education Provision in the North-West on either side of the border.

Many of the Fellows declared an interest in contributing to both in the future.

The visit was a worthwhile engagement and the Academy looks forward to engaging further with the centre in the time ahead.

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