In early September, a representative of the Office of the Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on Cyprus accompanied the Cyprus Women's Bicommunal Coalition (CWBC) on a working visit to Belfast and Dublin to learn more about the peace process that led to the historically inclusive Good Friday Agreement.

The trip was organized with the support of the Irish Embassy in Cyprus and the European Union under the EU Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community through the Grow Civic program.

The Coalition met representatives of: Northern Ireland Executive (NIE), including junior Ministers Aisling Reilly and Pam Cameron;  from the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly (NILA), Women’s Caucus Chairperson Claire Sugden MLA, and Caucus member, MLA, Kellie Armstrong ; Northern Ireland Office (NIO) officials; Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach, (Prime Minister of Ireland at the time of the negotiations and a signatory of the Good Friday Agreement); civil society organisations; and senior officials in the Republic of Ireland, including Secretary-General of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, Joe Hackett.

The Cyprus Women’s Bi-communal Coalition had the unique opportunity to meet the co-founder of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, Bronagh Hinds, at a dinner hosted by Laurence Simms, Irish Joint Secretary of the British-Irish Secretariat. Hinds is a living example and inspiration for women determined to build peace and reconciliation after conflict and a better future for the future generations.

The Coalition also visited two important centres, the WAVE Trauma Centre and the Shankill Shared Women’s Centre, key institutions in healing the trauma of conflict and division of communities - important discussion, experiences shared, and voices heard.

Read the Coalitions’ press release here: