Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland establishing a British-Irish Council

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Country/entity: Ireland
United Kingdom
Northern Ireland
Region: Europe and Eurasia
Agreement name: Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland establishing a British-Irish Council
Date: 8 Mar 1999
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Interstate/intrastate conflict(s)
Northern Ireland Conflict (1968 - 1998)
Commonly referred to as ‘the Troubles’, the most recent conflict over the territory of Northern Ireland can be framed as beginning in 1968 and ending with the Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) in 1998. While the genesis of the conflict was closely related to pressures for the state to reform with relation to discrimination against the (minority) Catholic population, the core issue of the conflict as it proceeded was the constitutional status of Northern Ireland, which was contested between the unionist/loyalist (mostly Protestant) majority, who wanted the territory to remain as part of the United Kingdom, and the nationalist/republican (mostly Catholic) minority, whose goal was to unite the six provincial counties with the Republic of Ireland. The thirty years prior to the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement were marked by inter-communal violence, active paramilitary groups, and the deployment of the British army in the province. Mediation by international actors, and dialogue between the British and Irish governments, and between the IRA and its representatives and the British Government eventually resulted in a ceasefire respected by the majority of combatants. Talks led to the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement which established a power-sharing system of governance between nationalist and unionist communities.
Stage: Implementation/renegotiation
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Northern Ireland peace process
Parties: The Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Third parties: -
Description: Agreement between the Irish and British Governments establishing a North/South Ministerial Council, further to Strand II of the Good Friday Agreement.

Agreement document: UK_IE_990308_Agreement on Establishing a British-Irish Council.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: Page 1, Article 1
Under and in furtherance of Article 2 of the British-Irish Agreement, there is hereby established a British-Irish Council ("the Council").

Page 1, Article 2
The Council shall be constituted and shall operate in accordance with the provisions of the Multi-Party Agreement.

Page 1, Article 3
The Members of the Council shall be responsible for the operation of the Council and shall as necessary, acting by consensus within the Council, decide on supplementary procedural arrangements relating to its operation.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): Governance→Political institutions (new or reformed)→New political institutions (indefinite)
Page 1, Article 1
Under and in furtherance of Article 2 of the British-Irish Agreement, there is hereby established a British-Irish Council ("the Council").

Page 1, Article 2
The Council shall be constituted and shall operate in accordance with the provisions of the Multi-Party Agreement.

Page 1, Article 3
The Members of the Council shall be responsible for the operation of the Council and shall as necessary, acting by consensus within the Council, decide on supplementary procedural arrangements relating to its operation.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: Governance→Constitution→Constitutional reform/making
Page 1, Untitled Preamble, para 4.

Recalling that the participants in the multi-party negotiations pledged that they would in good faith work to ensure the success of each and every one of the arrangements to be established under the Multi-Party Agreement, and that it was accepted that “all of the institutional and constitutional arrangements - an Assembly in Northern Ireland, a North/South Ministerial Council, implementation bodies, a British-Irish Council, and a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and any amendments to British Acts of Parliament and the Constitution of Ireland - are interlocking and interdependent and that in particular the functions of the Assembly and the North/South Council are so closely inter-related that the success of each depends on that of the other”;

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: No specific mention.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: No specific mention.
Ceasefire: No specific mention.
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs, copy on file with author

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND ESTABLISHING A NORTH/SOUTH MINISTERIAL COUNCIL

[Agreements between British and Irish governments reached on 8 March 1999 in respect of the North-South Ministerial Council, the British-Irish Council, and the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference]

The Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:

Having regard to Article 2 of the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Ireland done at Belfast on 10th April 1998 ("the British-Irish Agreement") and to the Multi-Party Agreement reached at Belfast on 10th April 1998 ("the Multi-Party Agreement") annexed to the British-Irish Agreement;

Recalling that the participants in the multi-party negotiations pledged that they would in good faith work to ensure the success of each and every one of the arrangements to be established under the Multi-Party Agreement, and that it was accepted that "all of the institutional and constitutional arrangements - an Assembly in Northern Ireland, a North/South Ministerial Council, implementation bodies, a British-Irish Council, and a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and any amendments to British Acts of Parliament and the Constitution of Ireland - are interlocking and interdependent and that in particular the functions of the Assembly and the North/South Council are so closely inter-related that the success of each depends on that of the other";

Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1 Under and in furtherance of Article 2 of the British/Irish Agreement, there is hereby established a North/South Ministerial Council ("the Council").

ARTICLE 2 The Council shall be constituted and shall operate in accordance with the provisions of the Multi-Party Agreement.

ARTICLE 3 Both sides of the Council, with each side acting in accordance with the appropriate arrangements in its jurisdiction, shall be responsible for the operation of the Council and shall as necessary, acting within the Council, decide on supplementary procedural arrangements relating to its operation.

ARTICLE 4 This Agreement shall enter into force on the date on which the British-Irish Agreement enters into force.

In witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto by the respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.

Done in two originals at Dublin on the 8th day of March 1999.