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The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, today (Monday, 3 April) visited the site of the new Peace Campus in Monaghan Town to mark the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Funding for the Peace Campus project has been provided under the European Union’s PEACE IV Shared Spaces Programme with match funding provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Communities in Northern Ireland.
The PEACE IV Programme is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), one of six cross-border bodies set up under the Good Friday Agreement.
Speaking at the PEACE Campus site in Monaghan Town, Minister Humphreys said:
“As we approach the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday agreement, it is an opportunity to reflect on the major developments and achievements over the past 25 years, in terms of promoting the values of reconciliation, respect, solidarity, equality, cultural diversity and social inclusion. The Peace Campus and other major projects like it across the border region simply would not have happened without the Good Friday Agreement. This is a landmark €18 million community project right in the heart of Monaghan town and is a flagship example of the ongoing efforts all of us must make to continue to build peace and reconciliation on our island. The project has been developed following active cross community engagement.”
Construction work on the Peace Campus commenced in the early autumn of 2020 and is expected to be completed later this year.
This project will create a new shared space specifically designed to create social interaction and encourage cross community and cross border activities. This will include culture and heritage activities and capacity building for young people among others.
Core activities set to be explored in the new space will include:
Minister Humphreys concluded:
“I am very pleased that my Department of Rural and Community Development shares responsibility for the PEACE IV Programme and has been able to provide essential co-funding and support for over eighty projects, North and South of the border, including the Monaghan Peace Campus. The progress that has been made over the years in the delivery of the various PEACE Programmes has been amazing and the difference the Programme has made to communities across the Border region simply cannot be overstated. We will continue to work with our Northern Ireland counterparts and the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) on the new PEACE Plus programme which will be mobilised in the coming weeks. I look forward to the launch of the first calls for applications under this new programme and seeing the continuation of this essential work under PEACE Plus.”
PEACE PLUS is a new cross-border EU funding programme for the period 2021-27, which will succeed both of the current (2014-20) PEACE IV and INTERREG VA Programmes. The combination of the PEACE and INTERREG type activities in a single programme represents the inclusion of wider economic, social and environmental activities.
The PEACE PLUS Programme Area includes Northern Ireland and the Border Counties of Ireland (Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth). In a change from previous PEACE programmes, activities can involve partners and activity outside the programme area, as long as the projects being funded are making a contribution to the objectives of the programme and benefit citizens within the programme area.
The Programme aims to foster cross-border cooperation and build peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. PEACEPLUS will fund projects across six thematic areas:
Prior to any PEACEPLUS funding calls being opened, the SEUPB is coordinating pre-application support workshops to provide preliminary guidance that will help potential applicants build their project, programme knowledge, and capacity. Full details of past and upcoming workshops are available on the SEUPB website.