International Day of Peace 2024 – a message from the Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body

Every day in my role as Chief Executive of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), I am privileged to witness the impact of peace right at the heart of communities across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

I am always struck by the profound example these communities set in terms of the social care, economic recovery, political and legal reforms, community relations, and security and stability required to rebuild a post-conflict society. Indeed, the sheer scale of what has been achieved here since the signing the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 1998 can serve as a model for peacebuilding on the international stage. 

For the past 25 years, the SEUPB has been proud to play an important role in managing what can only be described as critical building blocks in that peacebuilding journey – the PEACE and INTERREG Programmes.

Cumulatively, these programmes have, to date, provided €3.39bn of direct funding into communities in Northern Ireland and the six border counties in Ireland – funding over 23,000 wide-ranging programmes and supporting more than 2.2 million citizens.

It is in considering the truly transformative impact of these PEACE Programmes that the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace rings particularly true. Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly 25 years ago this year, the Declaration describes peace requiring “a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged, and conflicts are solved in a spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation”.

For the past three decades, the PEACE Programmes have delivered exactly this. They have cultivated a culture of peace by developing and deepening social cohesion between divided communities, increasing tolerance and respect, reducing the levels of sectarianism and racism, promoting opportunities for prosperity, and addressing the legacy of the past.

None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of our funders, partners and SEUPB colleagues, and we are incredibly indebted to each and every one. 

So much has been learned during the past three decades, with so much knowledge and experience gained that can be imparted on both conflict and post-conflict societies globally to help inform the development and implementation of future peace programmes.

This International Day of Peace, at SEUPB we celebrate all that has been achieved through PEACE and INTERREG, and all that will continue to be achieved through PEACEPLUS in the coming years.