The Good Friday Agreement concluded between the British and Irish governments and political parties in Belfast on April 10, 1998, is sacred. A quarter of a century on, it is recognized as having had a transformative effect on lives and destinies. Most people in Northern Ireland still consider it to be at the core of day-to-day existence.
It brought an end to three decades of sectarian violence that killed more than 3,700 people and injured more than 47,500. And to underpin democracy in the place of conflict, it established institutions of governance for Northern Ireland: British-Irish, North-South on the island of Ireland, and a devolved Assembly and Executive.
