NORTHERN Ireland and the border counties of Ireland are set to benefit from a new five-year ¤300 million (£200 million) PEACE programme made up of ¤225 million in additional funding from the European Union along with national contributions of ¤75 million.
The Special EU Programmes Body, which is responsible for the management of the new programme, today published the proposed PEACE III Operational Programme for public consultation. The document contains the rationale for the new programme, its priorities and areas of intervention, along with the proposed implementation provisions.
The new programme follows on from the PEACE I and PEACE II Programmes which provided more than ¤1 billion in funding for Northern Ireland and the border counties over the past eleven years. It focuses on two distinct priority areas that include reconciling communities and contributing to a shared society. The concept of reconciliation is ingrained into the Programme objectives and a strong emphasis has been placed on promoting cross-community relations and understanding. The priorities have been specifically targeted on areas and groups that have been affected by the conflict and experience the particular problems of segregation, marginalisation and isolation.
Shaun Henry, Director of Programmes, Special EU Programmes Body is urging all people and organisations with an interest in future EU PEACE funding to participate in the consultation and submit their views on the proposed Programme priority areas and implementation plans, "We have done extremely well to secure a further round of funding given the recent EU expansion and the funding requirements emerging within new member states.
"While the new Programme aims to build on the lessons and successes of the PEACE I and PEACE II Programmes, the proposed PEACE III Programme is very different to the previous programmes in terms of the level of funding available, the priority areas and the implementation mechanisms.
"The PEACE I and PEACE II Programmes have made an important contribution to peace and reconciliation by facilitating increased engagement and developing understanding between communities. Peace building, however, is a process which requires long-term commitment and effort to achieve real and lasting progress and create a peaceful and stable society. With this in mind, PEACE III will place a greater emphasis on reconciliation objectives, promoting innovation and encouraging a bottom-up approach while reducing the complexity of the Programme.
"Projects will be required to identify how they will address sectarian and/or racist behaviour to enable communities to work more effectively together and demonstrate outcomes in terms of good relations and understanding.
"Ultimately, this consultation presents a real opportunity for people to have a say about how the new Programme can make a difference to life in their community."
The consultation will run until Wednesday, April 4, 2007. The proposed Operational Programme can be downloaded from www.seupb.eu/consultation or by contacting the Special EU Programmes Body on Tel: 028 9026 6681.
