Agreement Reached in the Multi-Party Negotiations - Transitional ...

ecent history of communal conflict the parties affirm to a list of mainly political rights
such as freedom of political thought and the right to freedom and expression of religion.
Social and economic rights are included as: ‘the right to equal opportunity in all social and
economic activity, regardless of class, creed, disability, gender or ethnicity’. The text also
includes the right to freedom from specifically ‘sectarian harassment’. Finally, ‘the right of
women to full and equal political participation’ is acknowledged. This was an addition
lobbied for by the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition. 24 However, while the Agreement
lays down a new political structure with safeguards to deliver Nationalist/Unionist powersharing,
there are no safeguards to deliver the equal political participation of women. The
absence of any enforcement mechanism for the right of women to full political
participation means that it is left to the parties to implement this on a party basis, and they
have been slow to act.
3.4.2 United Kingdom Legislation
Provision is made to ensure equality of treatment by public bodies in Northern Ireland and
lists several categories, including gender.
3.4.3 New Institutions in Northern Ireland
Since discrimination was at the core of the conflict, new institutions - a Northern Ireland
Human Rights Commission, ‘with membership from Northern Ireland reflecting the
community balance’ and a statutory Equality Commission (with the future possibility of a
Department of Equality) - would be established. The mandate for these bodies allowed for
dealing with discrimination beyond that based on religious or political sectarianism,
including discrimination against women.
3.4.4 Reconciliation and Victims of Violence
The section deals with victims of violence in general terms, not in gender-specific terms.
That everything in the Agreement is written through the lens of communal division
between Nationalist and Unionist is again evident. The motivation behind the broad
sentiment ‘promotion of culture of tolerance at every level of society’ is revealed by the
suggestion of initiatives with regard to integrated housing and education, traditional
Nationalist/Unionist issues.
3.4.5 Economic, Social and Cultural Issues
Policies promoting social inclusion should include ‘in particular community development
and the advancement of women in public life’. Beyond that, the succeeding paragraphs
which deal with areas where women have been traditionally disadvantaged make no
specific reference to women. A new regional development strategy will tackle the problems
of ‘a divided society’; ‘measures on employment equality’ and a ‘more focused Targeting
Social Need Initiative and a range of measures aimed at combating unemployment’ should
progressively eliminate ‘the differential in unemployment rates between the two
communities by targeting objective need’. Gender differentials are not considered.
3.5 Decommissioning
The section has no gender specific parts.
3.6 Security
24 Ibid.
8