Lesson-Sharing

The Northern Ireland situation, like all conflicts, has had its own particular characteristics and specific context.  Yet, it also shares some features common to other conflict resolution processes around the world.  The CRU is therefore committed to sharing the lessons learned from the Northern Ireland peace process with other regions experiencing, or emerging from, conflict.  The CRU also recognises that lesson-sharing is a two-way process, and there is much that Ireland can learn from others tackling the same issues.

The CRU has arranged a number of programmes for high-level cross-party political delegations to examine the background to, and approach of, the Government to resolving the conflict in Northern Ireland. 

In a related project, a book, entitled “Policing the Narrow Ground”, was launched in 2010 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Patten Report.  The publication is funded jointly by the CRU and the Northern Ireland office and captures lessons from the Patten process which might be usefully shared with other policy communities.

During its Chairmanship-in-Office of the OSCE, Ireland will draw on lessons learned from the Northern Ireland peace process in order to work to help facilitate progress in the resolution of the OSCE region’s protracted conflicts.