Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats)
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We obviously have our own history in Ireland in terms of conflict and peace deals, albeit nothing on the scale of what is happening in Ukraine. A huge role was played by civil society groups in Northern Ireland in engaging in peace discussions. The Ukrainian Government and civil society in Ukraine have often been excluded from discussions about a peace agreement and what long-term peace could look like for the country. I am interested in hearing what efforts are being made to strengthen civil society organisations so that the voices of different groups are included. I know it is difficult to have those discussions at a time of war rather than peace, but we all hope that one day - in the near future - we can start thinking about what peace means. What role could civil society play in peace and to deal with the communities that have experienced a lot of trauma, challenges and deaths? What gaps are there in supporting civil society that Ireland might be able to step into, recognising our neutrality? There are other ways that we can support Ukraine and supporting civil society to integrate and engage in peace could be part of that. It would be interesting to hear what the position is currently in the country or what stage it is at.