CIAO DATE: 05/2009
June 2008
Initiative on Conflict Resolution and Ethnicity
The aim of the project is to examine the attitudes of elected representatives and political parties in Northern Ireland towards minority ethnic communities. It also explores the extent and nature of political parties’ and elected representatives’ engagement with minority ethnic communities. The research began on March 1st 2007 and ended on June 30th 2008. Northern Ireland is becoming a more diverse society in the twenty first century. In this respect, minority ethnic communities have made, and will continue to make, a valuable contribution to the richness and diversity of society. However, these communities have also faced problems such as racism, of a direct or institutional nature, and de facto exclusion from political and other spheres in Northern Ireland. In many ways, Northern Ireland politics is at a new crossroads of opportunities as regards intercultural and community relations. One aim of the project is to examine perceptions within the main political parties and assess how elected representatives and parties have engaged with and mainstreamed minority ethnic interests in their manifestos, structures and practices.
Resource link: Elected Representatives/Political Parties and Minority Ethnic Communities in Northern Ireland [PDF] - 2.0M