PEACE IV
The European Union, in recognition of the significant challenges that face Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland, has made a specific allocation of funding within the new regulations 2014-2020 to address issues associated with the creation of a more peaceful society. These regulations have made provision for a budget of €229m for a new PEACE Programme under the European Regional Development Fund.
The new programme – Peace IV – will provide support to projects that contribute towards the promotion of greater levels of peace and reconciliation. It will place a strong emphasis on promoting cross-community relations and understanding in order to create a more cohesive society.
The County Leitrim Peace IV Partnership, a sub-committee of Leitrim Community Development Committee (LCDC), has drawn up the Peace IV Strategic Plan 2017-2020 for the county.
Approximately €1.7m worth of funding has been offered to Leitrim County Council as Lead Partner. Leitrim County Council on behalf of the County Leitrim Peace IV Partnership has identified the North Leitrim Women’s Centre (NLWC) as an experienced and competent service provider in its PEACE IV Action Plan. Funding will be used to support a number of locally-based projects and initiatives that will promote positive relations between people from different communities and backgrounds.
To date the NLWC has 2 programmes running.
- Events Around Women’s Suffrage – 2018 marks the centenary of the passing of the ‘The Representation of the Peoples Act’ on the 18th of February 1918 which for the first time granted partial suffrage to Irish women north and south. 2018 also marks the centenary of the first time Irish women took to the polls on the 14th of December 1918. The story of women’s suffrage in Ireland is one of shared ideals and a shared vision of women’s equality. Unionist and Nationalist women across Ireland were united in the joint campaign for women’s suffrage and women’s equality, however as other political events of the time unfolded suffrage interacted with the growing tension between nationalism and unionism. The force of British and Irish politics of the time began to force splits in women’s allegiances and attention and energies for many was spent on the future of Ireland and not the single issue of suffrage. the ‘100 Years of Women’s Suffrage” Living History Project offers a unique opportunity to not only celebrate securing ‘the vote for women’ in 1918, but to enhance our understanding of Irish History in particular ‘Irish Women’s History’.
- Rural Women Along the Border – The aim of this programme is to build the self-esteem, skills and confidence of women living in communities along the border in North Leitrim and South West Fermanagh to participate fully in social, economic, cultural and community life and to support the development of a shared vision and collective voice for women in the border area.
The Project aims to identify, target, engage and connect with some of the most socially excluded and isolated women in rural border communities and work with them to breakdown isolation and exclusion, increase and improve the self-esteem, confidence, physical and mental health, encourage, support and build connections and to facilitate women to collectively identify and name the issues and needs affecting their lives.
For more information on activities and events around these projects follow us on facebook – North Leitrim Women’s Centre
For more information on the Leitrim County PEACE IV Action Plan check out http://www.leitrimcoco.ie/eng/Community-Culture/Community/Peace-IV/Peace-IV.html
Match-funding for this element of the PEACE IV Programme has been provided by the Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in Ireland.
The European Union’s PEACE IV Programme is managed by the Special EU programmes Body (SEUPB)
