Monica McWilliams
British politician and academic (born 1954) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Monica Mary McWilliams (born 28 April 1954) is a Northern Irish academic, peace activist, human rights defender and former politician.
Monica McWilliams | |
---|---|
Co-leader of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition | |
In office 1996–2006 | |
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast South | |
In office 25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003 | |
Preceded by | New Creation |
Succeeded by | Alex Maskey |
Member of the Northern Ireland Forum | |
In office 30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998 | |
Constituency | Top-up list |
Personal details | |
Born | (1954-04-28) 28 April 1954 (age 69) Ballymoney, Northern Ireland |
Political party | Northern Ireland Women's Coalition (1996 – 2006) |
Residence | Belfast |
Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast University of Michigan |
Profession | Professor |
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.