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Staff Reporter, 19 Apr
Peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland go together, a conference
marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement has been
told.
US special envoy to Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy III said American
companies considering investing in the region want certainty for the
future, adding the sooner they have clarity the better for the economy.
His comments echo those of US President Joe Biden last week when he
said hundreds of US investors were poised to invest but were cautious
due to the lack of powersharing executive at Stormont.
Mr Kennedy’s remarks come ahead of an address by Prime Minister Rishi
Sunak to close the three-day conference to mark the anniversary of the
1998 peace accord which largely brought an end to the Troubles in
Northern Ireland.
The event at Queen’s University Belfast has seen political leaders fly
in from across the world, including former US president Bill Clinton,
ex-prime minister Sir Tony Blair, former Irish premier Bertie Ahern and
European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic.
Irish premier Leo Varadkar and European Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen will also address the conference on Wednesday.
While celebrating the achievement of the 1998 accord, the conference
has also seen repeated words of encouragement to restore the Stormont
Assembly, which has been collapsed for the last year amid a DUP boycott
over post-Brexit trading arrangements.
Mr Kennedy, whose remit as envoy is focused on stimulating economic
growth in Northern Ireland, emphasised the opportunities presented by
Northern Ireland’s dual access to the UK and EU markets.
“Two of my primary responsibilities will be trying to get those firms
who are already here to expand their footprint and, of course, to make
the case to the next set of global partners about why they should come
here,” he said.
“Perhaps not surprisingly, many executives are already aware of the
case for Northern Ireland.
“They know about the talent and the ease of transit. They know about
the potential for market access.
“They also, yes, want clarity and certainty. They want to have a good
idea of what might change and how and when that might happen. The
sooner they have answers to those questions, the better for a Northern
Ireland economy.”
Mr Kennedy added: “There also can be no prosperity without peace, and
there can be no peace without prosperity.”
Jayne Brady, head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, told the
conference the next mission was to ensure the benefits of the peace
dividend are felt by everyone in the region.
She said: “The sad fact is that the legacy of our past still clings to
us.
“We are struggling to deal with persistent societal problems, low-paid
work, low economic productivity and multi-generational poverty.
“Not all our communities have experienced the benefits of peace and
even after 25 years of peacebuilding and investment our job is not yet
done.”
The final day of the Belfast conference will see Mr Sunak vow to “give
everything” to deliver the vision of sustained economic growth and
tackle the problems of a divided society in Northern Ireland.
Mr Sunak will then later host a gala dinner, attended by political
leaders, international dignitaries and leading charities.
Meanwhile, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in
Limavady, Co Derry, to honour a new shared education initiative by two
local schools.
She said: “While we have been celebrating the 25th anniversary of the
Belfast/Good Friday Agreement at Queen’s (University), and it is an
enormous achievement for which the people of Northern Ireland deserve
all of the credit, we know that the work for peace, prosperity and
progress that so many have committed their lives to continues.
“The journey is by no means finished.
“The work of sharing education and of expanding housing and of working
to remove barriers and divisions in neighbourhoods and to tackle
persistent poverty and unemployment are ones that have to be at the top
of our list of priorities.
“No victory and no defeat is ever permanent. Every generation has to
continue to do its part to both preserve and expand opportunity.”