Monica McWilliams

rdf:langString Monica McWilliams

rdf:langString Monica McWilliams

rdf:langString Monica McWilliams

rdf:langString Northern Ireland

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Professor

rdf:langString MLA for Belfast South

rdf:langString Regional Member

rdf:langString Monica Mary McWilliams (born 28 April 1954) is a Northern Irish academic, peace activist, human rights defender and former politician in Northern Ireland. In 1996, she co-founded the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition (NIWC) political party and was elected as a delegate at the Multi-Party Peace Negotiations, which led to the Good Friday Peace Agreement in 1998. She served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for Belfast South from 1998 to 2003, and chaired the Implementation Committee on Human Rights on behalf of the British and Irish governments. She was appointed as Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission from 2005–2011, and was the Oversight Commissioner for prison reform in Northern Ireland (2011–2015). She currently sits on the Independent Reporting Commission for the disbandment of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland. She is Emeritus Professor in the Transitional Justice Institute at Ulster University and continues her academic research into domestic violence. She also specialises in conflict resolution and working with women in conflict regions.