Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
A Joint Committee
10. It is envisaged that there would
be a joint
committee of representatives of the
two Human
Rights Commissions, North and South,
as a forum for
consideration of human rights issues
in the island of
Ireland. The joint committee will
consider, among
other matters, the possibility of
establishing a charter,
open to signature by all democratic
political parties,
reflecting and endorsing agreed
measures for the
protection of the fundamental rights
of everyone
living in the island of Ireland.
Reconciliation and Victims of
Violence
11. The participants believe that it
is essential to
acknowledge and address the suffering
of the
victims of violence as a necessary
element of
reconciliation. They look forward to
the results of the
work of the Northern Ireland Victims
Commission.
12. It is recognised that victims have
a right to
remember as well as to contribute to a
changed
society. The achievement of a peaceful
and just
society would be the true memorial to
the victims of
violence. The participants
particularly recognise that
young people from areas affected by
the troubles
face particular difficulties and will
support the
development of special community-based
initiatives
based on international best practice.
The provision of
services that are supportive and
sensitive to the
needs of victims will also be a
critical element and
that support will need to be
channelled through
both statutory and community-based
voluntary
organisations facilitating
locally-based self-help and
support networks. This will require
the allocation of
sufficient resources, including
statutory funding as
necessary, to meet the needs of
victims and to
provide for community-based support
programmes.
13. The participants recognise and
value the work
being done by many organisations to
develop
reconciliation and mutual
understanding and
respect between and within communities
and
traditions, in Northern Ireland and
between North
and South, and they see such work as
having a vital
role in consolidating peace and
political agreement.
Accordingly, they pledge their
continuing support to
such organisations and will positively
examine the
case for enhanced financial assistance
for the work
of reconciliation. An essential aspect
of the
reconciliation process is the
promotion of a culture of
tolerance at every level of society,
including
initiatives to facilitate and
encourage integrated
education and mixed housing.
RIGHTS, SAFEGUARDS AND EQUALITY OF
OPPORTUNITY
Economic, Social and Cultural
Issues
1. Pending the devolution of powers to
a new
Northern Ireland Assembly, the British
Government will
pursue broad policies for sustained
economic growth
and stability in Northern Ireland and
for promoting
social inclusion, including in
particular community
development and the advancement of
women in
public life.
2. Subject to the public consultation
currently under
way, the British Government will make
rapid progress
with:
(i) a new regional development
strategy for
Northern Ireland, for
consideration in due
course by a the Assembly,
tackling the
problems of a divided society and
social
cohesion in urban, rural and
border areas,
protecting and enhancing the
environment,
producing new approaches to
transport issues,
strengthening the physical
infrastructure of the
region, developing the advantages
and
resources of rural areas and
rejuvenating major
urban centres;
(ii) a new economic development
strategy for
Northern Ireland, for
consideration in due
course by a the Assembly, which
would
provide for short and medium term
economic
planning linked as appropriate to
the regional
development strategy; and
(iii) measures on employment
equality included
in the recent White Paper
("Partnership for
Equality") and covering the
extension and
strengthening of
anti-discrimination legislation,
a review of the national security
aspects of the
present fair employment
legislation at the
earliest possible time, a new
more focused
Targeting Social Need initiative
and a range of
measures aimed at combating
unemployment
and progressively eliminating the
differential in
unemployment rates between the
two
communities by targeting
objective need.
3. All participants recognise the
importance of
respect, understanding and tolerance
in relation to
linguistic diversity, including in
Northern Ireland, the
Irish language, Ulster-Scots and the
languages of the
various ethnic communities, all of
which are part of
the cultural wealth of the island of
Ireland.
4. In the context of active
consideration currently
being given to the UK signing the
Council of Europe
Charter for Regional or Minority
Languages, the British
Government will in particular in
relation to the Irish
language, where appropriate and where
people so
desire it:
� take resolute action to promote the
language;
� facilitate and encourage the use of
the language
in speech and writing in public and
private life where
there is appropriate demand;
� seek to remove, where possible,
restrictions which
would discourage or work against the
maintenance
or development of the language;
� make provision for liaising with the
Irish language
community, representing their views to
public
authorities and investigating
complaints;
� place a statutory duty on the
Department of
Education to encourage and facilitate
Irish medium
education in line with current
provision for integrated
education;
� explore urgently with the relevant
British authorities,
and in co-operation with the Irish
broadcasting
authorities, the scope for achieving
more
widespread availability of Teilifis na
Gaeilige in
Northern Ireland;
� seek more effective ways to
encourage and
provide financial support for Irish
language film and
television production in Northern
Ireland; and
� encourage the parties to secure
agreement that
this commitment will be sustained by a
new
Assembly in a way which takes account
of the desires
and sensitivities of the community.
5. All participants acknowledge the
sensitivity of the
use of symbols and emblems for public
purposes, and
the need in particular in creating the
new institutions
to ensure that such symbols and
emblems are used in
a manner which promotes mutual respect
rather
than division. Arrangements will be
made to monitor
this issue and consider what action
might be
required.
DECOMMISSIONING
1. Participants recall their agreement
in the
Procedural Motion adopted on 24
September 1997
"that the resolution of the
decommissioning issue is
an indispensable part of the process
of negotiation",
and also recall the provisions of
paragraph 25 of
Strand 1 above.
2. They note the progress made by the
Independent
International Commission on
Decommissioning and
the Governments in developing schemes
which can
represent a workable basis for
achieving the
decommissioning of illegally-held arms
in the
possession of paramilitary groups.
3. All participants accordingly
reaffirm their
commitment to the total disarmament of
all
paramilitary organisations. They also
confirm their
intention to continue to work
constructively and in
good faith with the Independent
Commission, and
to use any influence they may have, to
achieve the
decommissioning of all paramilitary
arms within two
years following endorsement in
referendums North
and South of the agreement and in the
context of
the implementation of the overall
settlement.
4. The Independent Commission will
monitor, review
and verify progress on decommissioning
of illegal
arms, and will report to both
Governments at regular
intervals.
6. Both Governments will take all
necessary steps to
facilitate the decommissioning process
to include
bringing the relevant schemes into
force by the end
of June.
SECURITY
1. The participants note that the
development of a
peaceful environment on the basis of
this agreement
can and should mean a normalisation of
security
arrangements and practices.
2. The British Government will make
progress towards
the objective of as early a return as
possible to
normal security arrangements in
Northern Ireland,
consistent with the level of threat
and with a
published overall strategy, dealing
with:
(i) the reduction of the
numbers and role
of the Armed Forces deployed
in
Northern Ireland to levels
compatible
with a normal peaceful
society;
(ii) the removal of security
installations;
(iii) the removal of
emergency powers in
Northern Ireland; and
(iv) other measures
appropriate to and
compatible with a normal
peaceful
society.
3. The Secretary of State will consult
regularly on
progress, and the response to any
continuing
paramilitary activity, with the Irish
Government and
the political parties, as appropriate.
4. The British Government will
continue its
consultation on firearms regulation
and control on
the basis of the document published on
2 April 1998.
5. The Irish Government will initiate
a wide-ranging
review of the Offences Against the
State Acts 1939-85
with a view to both reform and
dispensing with
those elements no longer required as
circumstances
permit.
--
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