Recommendation 7

Cross-community safeguards were a fundamental aspect of the Strand One institutions’ design. They recognised and accommodated the politics of a deeply divided, post-conflict society and were undoubtedly fundamental to securing agreement between Unionist and Nationalist parties in 1998. With an understanding drawn from that time, the institutions have facilitated successfully cross-community government and we recognise the continued importance of Unionist/Nationalist representation to the legitimacy of government in Northern Ireland and the wider stability of the region. However, there is an emerging sense that “cross-community” should take account of the growing section of Northern Ireland society which does not identify as either Unionist or Nationalist. In this sense, it is difficult to maintain that the institutions truly deliver cross-community governance when a significant—and growing—number of elected representatives do not enjoy the same powers within the institutions as their Unionist/Nationalist-designating colleagues. (Paragraph 48) The effectiveness of the institutions of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement 75