All-Island Women's Forum
In her role as Leadership Coordinator at the National Women’s Council of Ireland, Emma led in the creation of the first All-island Women’s Forum, serving as Chair and Facilitator of the Forum (2021-2023). The forum is a peacebuilding structure that brings together women from across the island of Ireland to work collectively in advancing gender equality and reconciliation.
As Chair, Emma organised a significant cross border peacebuilding conference in County Fermanagh with contributions from Georgetown’s Women, Peace and Security Director Melanne Verveer, and a key note address from Irish President Michael D Higgins, who quoted Emma in his remarks. You can read the President’s full speech here: President Michael D. Higgins: His Speech on The Unfinished Work of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland | Hotpress
Speaking at the launch of the first All-island Women’s Forum report, Emma said, “Evidence demonstrates that women in peace processes are more likely to focus on reconciliation, economic development, and transitional justice – all critical elements of a sustained peace. It is to these aims that members of the All-island Women’s Forum have worked diligently toward over the past 12 months, delivering an ambitious set of recommendations to governments North and South today. The Good Friday Agreement includes a commitment to North-South equivalence on rights as well as the full participation of women in public and political life, and yet women remain largely underrepresented in decision-making spaces and peacebuilding structures. The All-island Women’s Forum seeks to address this underrepresentation.”
Emma’s term as Chair ended in 2023, she remains a member and works specifically in advancing forum recommendations around North-South relations and the Women. Peace, and Security agenda.
