International Fund for Ireland May Enter Final Decade
An international organisation that has invested nearly £800 million in the Northern Ireland peace process may be approaching the final phase of its funding.
The International Fund for Ireland (IFI), established in the mid-1980s, has indicated it might cease to exist within the next ten years.
This peace-building body has worked to address divisions between Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland and the border counties.
The fund's chairperson, Shona McCarthy, told NI:
"We are looking at a final decade of the International Fund for Ireland."
This statement is significant coming from an organisation that has supported nearly 7,000 projects over the past four decades.
Origins and Funding of the IFI
The fund was created in 1986 amid the violence of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
It originated from the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement between the British and Irish governments and received backing from then US President Ronald Reagan.
Since its inception, approximately £780 million has been raised, including financial contributions from the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
However, raising funds has become more difficult in recent years.
Current Challenges and Changing Donor Attitudes
Although sporadic violent incidents still occur and divisions persist in some areas of Northern Ireland, the peace process has largely taken hold.
McCarthy explained that a new strategy has been developed for the coming decade and that important work remains, but she has noticed a shift in attitude among some potential donors.
She said:
"I've found myself in spaces with these international donors and players and you could see a raised eyebrow of 'we're 40 years on, how many years does this take?'"
Other global regions, including the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan, also require assistance.
McCarthy suggested that the IFI may only have another ten years left.
She stated:
"I think 50 years on, we can't continue to say we're a post-conflict society, we're in an ongoing peace process and expect international donors to back that when there's so much need in the rest of the world.
We can't look to our international donors and expect them to be on this never-ending journey with us forever. It has to be finite, if we're being honest with ourselves.
It feels fair that we have another 10 years, and now we just need to concentrate our efforts on using that 10 years really well."
Impact on Communities and Continuing Work
Among those who have benefited from IFI-supported cross-community initiatives in recent years are Lily Bannon and Michelle Bradley, a Protestant and a Catholic living on opposite sides of a peace wall in west Belfast.
Through a work programme, Lily and Michelle have developed a strong friendship.
McCarthy described them as:
"They're inspirational.
They're just two ordinary women in Belfast, separated by a huge wall, who have found each other.
But I also feel sad that still, after 40 years, Michelle and Lily are having to do that circuitous journey around a massive wall in order to get to each other."
Currently, 39 so-called peace walls remain in Northern Ireland, primarily in Belfast, according to the latest figures from the Department of Justice.
This situation highlights that the IFI and other peace-building organisations still have important work ahead.
