Good Friday Agreement: What the anniversary means to the generation who has known peace
Flávia Gouveia
April will mark the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). As the anniversary approaches, many will reflect on what has changed over the last 25 years. But for the so-called ‘peace babies’, the focus will be on the future.
Signed on 10 April 1998, the agreement ended a decades-long conflict and promised a more peaceful and prosperous future for Northern Ireland.
Those born after the signing of the GFA, also known as ‘peace babies’, were to be the beneficiaries of ‘peace dividends’. But as we approach this historic anniversary, stability in Northern Ireland feels fragile. Recent events surrounding Brexit have stoked tensions, and recent violent incidents threaten over two decades of peace.
As part of broader coverage to commemorate this milestone, The Scoop spoke to journalist and peacebuilder Emma DeSouza. For Emma, the GFA holds special significance, she came to prominence while taking forward a high-profile court case to defend her right to be accepted as "Irish, or British, or both" under the terms of the agreement.
Having battled for 5 years, Emma’s focus is now on the future; on what can still be achieved in Northern Ireland.
A changing society
The so-called ‘peace babies’ do not have lived experience of the decades-long conflict which preceded the last 25 years. The political institutions and society shaped by the GFA are all that they know.
Reflecting on the time since the signing of the GFA, Emma said: “Society itself has drastically changed over the last 25 years”. She added: “there have been a lot of positive changes in terms of society. Society itself is more reconciled, perhaps more than our politics.”
“The challenge we face in Northern Ireland is that the structures that were set up in 1998 that may have been necessary in 1998. Things like the political designations had their place, but perhaps not now in a society where a growing number of people who respond to things like the Northern Irish Life and Time survey actually don’t identify as either.”
The latest figures from the Northern Irish Life and Time Survey have shown that around 32 per cent of people identify as neither part of the protestant or catholic communities. This figure has been gradually increasing over the years.
“If you look at how younger demographics are approaching issues, and social justice issues, in particular, they do have a different set of priorities.”
Politically this is reflected in the outcome of the 2022 election, where Alliance was the only party in the election to experience net gains. As a political party designated as neither unionist or nationalist, Alliance may feel like a natural home for those people who don’t identify with either community.
Emma also highlights that recent research suggests that younger generations have different priorities and concerns than the generations that came before. Emma said: “if you look at how younger demographics are approaching issues, and social justice issues, in particular, they do have a different set of priorities.”
Young people are focused on issues like “climate change, education and human rights”. Emma added: “these were issues that are impacting their everyday lives or just mental health. When it comes to things like legacy or Brexit, only 7% of respondents said they had any interest in those areas.”
But in a political system dominated by party politics which is defined by the divisions which characterised the civil conflict which dominated Northern Ireland for decades, young people don’t see their priorities reflected.
Emma continued: “We're in a situation now where we have facilities and mechanisms built into the Good Friday Agreement that can be misapplied, can be distorted, can be misused by political parties to actually act as a bar of progress.”
The GFA introduced power sharing, which required representation from both communities. Mechanisms, such as the Petition for Concern, were also introduced as a means of ensuring that political parties could protect the interests of their communities. Some suggest that these mechanisms have been misused, leading to inactive government institutions for long periods.
Reflecting on the impact this has on younger generations, Emma said: “The reality of Northern Ireland politics is hardly reflective of continued stability; for the current generation of university students, Stormont has been collapsed since their teenage years. It is unsurprising that young people feel disillusioned with the politics in Northern Ireland.”
Since April 1998, it is estimated that Northern Ireland’s political institutions have been inactive for approximately 40 per cent of the time.
Emma continued: “I know that there has been an increase in conversations and demand for perhaps looking at how we can reform the institutions. And some would have a bit of an aversion to the idea of doing that. But the reality is that review is built into the Good Friday Agreement”.
Emma added that encouraging discussions and debate could help foster a “political system that is more reflective of society”.
Looking to the future
“Although this generation has not grown up with the violence of the past, it is worth reflecting on perhaps the environment that they’ve grown up under.”
The signing of the GFA ended decades of violent conflict in Northern Ireland. It also brought about new political institutions and a period of social change. But will it be enough to sustain a continually evolving society not defined by conflict, with changing and evolving priorities and needs.
“Although this generation has not grown up with the violence of the past, it is worth reflecting on perhaps the environment that they've grown up under, because whilst we do have an absence of violence, largely, what we don't have is the infrastructure in place for what would constitute a positive peace.”
Emma elaborated on what she meant by positive peace: “In many ways, what Northern Ireland actually has is a form of negative peace, where we have an absence of this conflict, but we don't have the structures to really sustain a lasting peace.”
“There is a serious issue when it comes to disenfranchisement, and also the fact that a lot of young people leave.”
She added: “when they're asked why that is, it's because of the political divisions. It's because of the lack of good community relations, and also the lack of opportunities, there is a socio-economic challenge that we face as a society as well.”
Thinking about the next 25 years, Emma suggests several areas which should be addressed.
“These structures are ensuring that a whole new generation is actually growing up under the same historical trappings as their parents and grandparents. ”
“There really are three key things that need to be done, especially this year in the 25th anniversary. One is to have a critical analysis of where we are in society, what's been delivered, and what hasn't been delivered. The second stage is then to look to find you get an implementation strategy, and how are we going to implement the unimplemented parts of the Good Friday Agreement. And the third part is having an external monitoring of that implementation strategy. And that's really what we need.”
Emma also highlights specific areas which could be prioritised: “If you look at things like the education system, it's still 93% segregated; social housing is 90% segregated. These structures are ensuring that a whole new generation is actually growing up under the same historical trappings as their parents and grandparents.”
Beyond education, Emma suggests that increasing civic engagement should also be a priority.
“There's also an absence of civic spaces in Northern Ireland, and that creates a system where people feel like the only way to engage through the electoral system and through elected politics, but there are actually tonnes of ways to contribute to your society and to social fabric and communities. We need to try and embed more systems in place.”
“The peace process is a process. 1998 was just the beginning of that process.”
To the ‘Peace Babies’
Emma ended her interview with a message encouraging younger generations to continue to look to the future.
“The peace process is a process. 1998 was just the beginning of that process, and the generation that came before us have laid out a pretty good roadmap, but it is going to be the next generation that has to take forward that work.”
“There is a lot of work that remains and I think that if we really work together, young people in particular, have the ability to be the big social change movement that is needed.”
“My advice would be to do whatever your passion is” says Emma.
Flávia Gouveia is a Journalism MA at Ulster University.