Reading Time: 2 minutes
Hillary Clinton – Twenty years ago, the Good Friday/Belfast agreement helped bring an end to decades of conflict and violence in Northern Ireland. It was a watershed moment – the result of diplomatic efforts within the halls of government and extraordinary actions of ordinary women and men who reached across longstanding and bitter divides.
Today, the agreement stands not only as a local framework for shared understanding, but as a shining example of what’s possible when citizens come together to demand peace, and preserve it across generations. As the world celebrates this significant anniversary, we must also remain vigilant in protecting the agreement in the face of our current challenges – from the uncertainties heralded by Brexit to the hurdles posed by the impasse in devolved government in Northern Ireland – and do all we can to deliver on the unrealised aspirations of human rights and equality that were espoused that day in April 1998.
Those who say the Good Friday agreement has run its course are wrong. Reinstating the Irish border would be an enormous setback.
One can read Hillary Clinton’s opinion on Northern Ireland and Brexit here.
Hillary Clinton is a former US secretary of state. She was the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election.
