AdHocGFA.org

As a result of Brexit, the devolved Executive in Northern Ireland is no longer functioning, the DUP is continuing to boycott GFA Strand II meetings, and there has been increased polarization between the unionist and nationalist communities in the run up to the May 2022 Assembly election. The last three years have witnessed a steady erosion of trust between the communities over the workings of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Put simply, the peace process is fragile and in urgent need of support from the United States. We are encouraging President Biden to appoint a Special Presidential Envoy.   

The GFA is one of the great diplomatic achievements of the United States in the last two decades and the United States should invest new energy in maintaining its integrity as we move towards its 25^th Anniversary in 2023. The GFA has worked at its best when the United States, Ireland, Great Britain, and the EU have worked in tandem to protect its integrity and to reduce areas of conflict. This is not the case today. While Dublin and London are in regular contact they have significant differences over the Protocol and implementation of the NDNA and the Protocol is a continuing source of friction between the UK and the EU.

There are other stress points on the ground as well: there have been marked demographic shifts which are poised to flip the majority/minority balance in the devolved government; the impact of unfulfilled or outdated aspects of the GFA are intensifying; and economic inequality has grown, affecting popular attitudes toward the agreement and increasing polarization. There is also increased volatility in the electorate with one in five voters undecided in the run up to the May Assembly elections. The weeks immediately following the May 5^th Assembly election may be decisive in reaching an agreement that Stormont will continue to function and deliver the NDNA agreement.

This is a key moment when a Special Presidential Envoy should be on ground representing the President’s long-standing interest in Ireland and protecting the GFA. The US government’s success has almost always come when it has positioned itself as an honest broker. Given the brittleness and continuing levels of distrust between the U.K., the E.U. and Ireland, the United States can play a strategic and constructive role in working to defuse the tensions and provide a new strategic perspective.

There are a wide range of issues that a Special Envoy could address including standing up the Executive, promoting economic investment from the United States, amplifying concerns about proposed legacy legislation and placing the spotlight on key aspects of the GFA that have yet to be fully implemented including a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

The Bill of Rights is very much an “orphan” issue that has continually been kicked to touch over the years.  The recent report of the Stormont Ad Hoc Committee on a Bill of Rights underscores the urgency of putting new energy behind the effort to secure a Bill of Rights. Securing a Bill of Rights under the Good Friday Agreement could also provide the unionist community additional insurance that their rights and identity would be protected should at some point in the future a majority of voters in Northern Ireland vote “Yes” on a Border Poll leading to a United Ireland.

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