CDPB Annual Report 2020 – 2021
This past year has brought great challenges for many as together we have faced the impact of a global pandemic. Despite this, CDPB has continued to deliver a programme of activities that bring people together, even if it has often been by virtual means. Our commitment to peace building and the strengthening of democracy remains undiminished.
This annual report provides an insight into our ongoing work, often alongside excellent partners such as Bryan Patten and the Washington Ireland Program, with a focus on empowering the next generation as they take on the baton of peace and step forward to provide the leadership of the future. One of our successful joint initiatives in the past year has been our engagement with Yale University in delivering the ‘Democracy, Identity and Civil Society’ Program and we hope to undertake further such projects in the year ahead.
Our sincere appreciation also goes to our funders, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Irish American Partnership. They share our desire to foster and promote reconciliation and join in our commitment to investing in our young people. Without the support of people like Aidan Browne and Mary Sugrue we would not have been in a position to deliver so much in these difficult times.
I also wish to place on record our great admiration for the solid leadership provided by our CEO Eva Grosman as she has directed the work of our project teams and helped mentor our fantastic interns and also our appreciation to the members of our Corporate and Advisory Boards. So many people give freely of their time to advise and support the work of CDPB and without them, our achievements would not have been possible.
Looking ahead, our Board has exciting plans for the development of CDPB. We are currently in the process of finalising our charitable status and have plans to develop a new ‘Fellowship’ programme and an online platform as well as establishing new corporate partnerships that will help make us even more effective in delivering our various projects.
As our peoples begin to emerge from the pandemic and look forward to better times, maybe we have a slightly different perspective on life and are more appreciative of things we once took for granted. Perhaps this offers an even greater opportunity to promote and strengthen the values associated with democracy and peace building and to be agents for change in a way that is truly transformative of how we live and work together.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson
TEDxStormont COUNTDOWN returns to find solutions and answers to the Climate Emergency
TEDxStormont Countdown is set to return this autumn as a part of TED’s global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, turning ideas into action.
TEDxStormont Countdown is due to take place in November 2021 to coincide with the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow. The COP26 summit aims to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
In the run up to the Countdown event, TEDxStormont will host a series of online and in-person initiatives and campaigns to encourage conversations about climate change across Northern Ireland with a focus on five core themes – energy, nature, food, materials, and transport.
In the first session, TEDxStormont is to host Shaping Our Electricity Future: Have Your Say which will see passionate climate activists take part in an online event focused on reimagining the electricity grid so that it can deliver a clean electricity future. Experts from SONI, the company which runs Northern Ireland’s electricity grid, will put their plans to the group for insights and challenge.
Taking place on 25 May, the virtual session, hosted by an actress and comedian Nuala McKeever will be an opportunity for attendees to contribute to the consultation and play their part in creating a grid which delivers world-leading levels of clean electricity.
The event will also hear from young climate campaigner Anna Kernahan, and Sara McCracken, RSPB NI’s Head of Fundraising and Communications will introduce RSPB’s Artist of the Year competition. The charity with the support of TEDxStormont will be calling for artists of all ages to use their skills to illustrate their vision of a nature rich and climate safe future for Northern Ireland. The competition aims to give a platform to these voices and encourage politicians to match their words with action.
Curator of TEDxStormont Countdown, Eva Grosman said:
“The Countdown initiative is the ideal opportunity for Northern Ireland’s climate change and environmental leaders from a range of sectors to join together to discuss and action the key solutions that will prevent further damage to our environment.
“TEDxStormont Countdown’s aim is to highlight, through open discussion, the important issues such as food, nature, energy, materials, and transport, that are having major impacts on our environment.
“TEDxStormont Countdown live is set to return in November as part of the TED Countdown which will see global leaders of climate action join together to highlight the major challenges and solutions to the core climate issues. In the run up to the COP26 in Glasgow,
TED Countdown will raise even more awareness of the climate crisis and will provoke our leaders in Government and beyond to think ahead to what must be done to save the planet for good.”
Natasha Sayee, Head of External Communications and Stakeholder Engagement at SONI said:
“Shaping Our Electricity Future is SONI’s direct response to the climate crisis and is fundamental to Northern Ireland’s ambitions of reaching at least 70% electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The move to clean electricity will affect everyone in Northern Ireland, and we want to engage with the public to hear their opinions on how best to move forward ensuring we meet the targets and respond to the Climate Crisis.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with TEDxStormont Countdown once again to highlight solutions and big ideas to the changing way we work in order to protect the planet. We want Northern Ireland’s electricity system to enable and support the climate emergency response. We are stepping up to do this and through our partnership with TEDxStormont we urge the public to join and help us inform how we can all move forward in a greener, cleaner society.”
Sara McCracken, Head of Fundraising and Communications at RSPB NI said:
“Northern Ireland is waking up to the nature and climate emergency and we are pleased to see important legislation such as the Climate Change Bill moving through the Assembly, as well as our participation in the upcoming COP26 event.
“TEDxStormont Countdown is a platform for Northern Ireland’s leading environmentalists and activists share ideas and thoughts on what needs to be done to protect the planet. Last year’s TEDx Countdown saw vibrant discussions and thought-provoking proposals exchanged on how to be kinder to our planet, and what actions are required in the global effort to affect this needed change.”
“We look forward to this year’s TEDx Countdown, especially the unveiling of the RSPB NI Artist of the Year, which will see incredible works of art that capture a future vision of nature and why it must be preserved.”
New anti-racism and diversity children’s initiative launched by Unite Against Hate and Still I Rise
The Unite Against Hate campaign challenging prejudice and hate crime has partnered with Still I Rise – Diversity Storytelling to encourage the education of diversity and racial inclusivity among children.
Throughout the month of March, Unite Against Hate and Still I Rise will host storytelling sessions and share resources focusing on the positives of kind, healthy and happy friendships.
On Fridays everyone will be encouraged to participate in the #FriendshipFriday initiative, use online resources, including colouring sheets, learn about the diversity and share what makes us different and unique.
Aimed at children aged 5-11, parents, teachers and young people will be encouraged to promote racial diversity and the importance of social inclusion to children from an early age.
Still I Rise – Diversity Storytelling is a project set up during the pandemic which promotes the reading and sharing of literature which celebrates diversity, tolerance and acceptance within society. Working with children, sessions focus on creating a kinder, generation through reading books where their own experiences are represented and a sense of belonging and empowerment is created.
Founder of Still I Rise – Diversity Storytelling is anti-racism and diversity campaigner Orla McKeating who delivered a pioneering talk on the issues of social stigma, especially around race in Northern Ireland, to a packed audience at TEDxStormont in 2019. Since then, Orla has become an advocate for race inclusion, especially for women and children in BAME communities.
Diversity Storytelling and #FriendshipFridays has been supported by Belfast City Council, Community Foundation NI and Irish American Partnership.
Orla McKeating from Still I Rise – Diversity Storytelling said:
“In racial inclusion terms, Northern Ireland is progressing. However, the 2019 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey showed 25% of the population still believed themselves to be ‘a little prejudice’ towards ethnic minorities. This shows work still must be done to reach out and inform people about tolerance and acceptance of all races. At Still I Rise, our mission is to break down the barriers of race and discrimination in Northern Ireland and work with our communities to promote inclusivity and kindness through words and storytelling.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Unite Against Hate to promote the message of diversity. Through sharing stories and using pictures and drawing to share with children how tolerance and acceptance of people of all races and ethnicities is key to a kinder world, we hope to inspire our children to be better than previous generations.
“Diversity Storytelling is an excellent way to teach our children about our differences and also what binds us together. Children are never born with hate or prejudice attitudes. These are learned behaviours, often taught by society. If we can teach our children from an early age to be open and considerate to all people, then we can really work towards making our communities more open and inclusive, no matter age, gender or race.
“We are encouraging all parents and teachers across Northern Ireland to get involved and be part of the change our society needs. Our children are our future leaders. If we can show teach them from an early age that difference is something to be celebrated, then the very idea of racial intolerance and hate will be one of the past.”
To register and learn more please visit: www.uniteagainsthate.org.uk/storytelling
Celebrating Mo Mowlam and Women Peacebuilders: Hen Norton in conversation with Monica McWilliams
Join us for an informal conversation between Professor Monica McWilliams, Co-founder of The Women’s Coalition and Henrietta Norton film director and step daughter of Mo Mowlam, to celebrate Mo’s personal and political legacy and successfully negotiating the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations on the 8th March 2021.
Women like Mo and Monica and the many others who played such a key part in the process are too easily forgotten in this story but their role was pivotal to the peace agreement’s success.
Monica and Henrietta will celebrate Mo and the women she worked alongside in this intimate and informal conversation in memory of Mo’s legacy.
Date: 8 March 2021
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YNi9dLr4R6KGWpFqVlJOkA
#IWD2021 #ChooseToChallenge
Niamh McDade: Twitter Best Practices
Niamh McDade, Deputy Head of Public Policy in the UK will delve into best practices for campaigning on the platform, Niamh will share tips on how to maximise engagement and reach, the variety ways Twitter can be used, hashtag tips, some dos and don’ts and also touch of safety and security.
- Date: Wednesday, 24 March 2021
- Time: 1pm – 2pm
- Register: www.tinyurl.com/v5c4e63v
Q&A hosted by Ani Kanakaki, Groundwork NI
Part of Pop Up Leadership Academy for Ethnic Minority Leaders organised in partnership between Centre for Democracy and Peace Building and Washington Ireland Program, and supported by Irish American Partnership.
Dr Donna Hicks: Leading with Dignity
Dr. Donna Hicks is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, and the former Deputy Director of the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution (PICAR).
She worked extensively on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and as a member of the third party in numerous unofficial diplomatic efforts. In addition to her work in the Middle East, Dr. Hicks founded and co-directed a ten-year project in Sri Lanka. She has also worked on the conflicts in Northern Ireland and Colombia and conducted several US/Cuba dialogues.
She is the author of the book, Dignity: It’s Essential Role in Resolving Conflict, published in 2011 by Yale University Press. Her second book, Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People, was published by Yale University Press in August 2018.
- Date: 10 March 2021
- Time: 1pm – 2pm
- Register at: https://tinyurl.com/drdonnahicks
Q&A hosted by Adriana Morvaiova, Diversity and Inclusion Champion
Part of Pop Up Leadership Academy for Ethnic Minority Leaders organised in partnership between Centre for Democracy and Peace Building and Washington Ireland Program, and supported by Irish American Partnership.