The Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA), in association with Migrant and Minority Ethnic (MME) ThinkTank, hosted a special event aimed at encouraging more MME members into local government and politics.
The event MME – participation – exploring barriers, exploding myths and seeking solutions, was hosted in the Long Gallery at Stormont and was well attended by political representatives.
The aim of the event was to encourage more MME representatives into politics, which is why NILGA is working alongside the MME ThinkTank and Northern Ireland African Caribbean Leadership Consortium (NIACLC).
Commenting on the event, NILGA President Councillor Alison Bennington, said, “This is an appropriate event for NILGA to take a lead in, building on our existing work in encouraging minority groups to vote and to participate in electoral politics through our ‘Be a Councillor, Make a Difference’ campaign. I am keen to ensure that democratic participation in Northern Ireland continues to thrive, with our elected representatives as a visible representation of our community as a whole.”
Alfred Abolarin, Founder of the Migrant and Minority Ethnic ThinkTank and the African and Caribbean Leadership Consortium NI said, “This is a significant moment of reflection as we mark the International Day of Democracy. A moment to revisit the essence of democracy and to take a closer look at the principles of participation, equality, equity, collaboration and trust. A time to recognise our interconnectedness and interdependence.”
He added: “This event is an outworking of a design thinking project which started in 2022 in Oxford University through the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building (CDPB) Fellowship Programme for civic leaders, politicians, and people in business.”
In closing the event, Baroness Margaret Ritchie said, “Currently people from the MME communities form approximately 4% of the population in Northern Ireland and there are at the moment only two elected representatives from the MME communities, both at council level.
“Further to recent disturbances across Northern Ireland which were particularly unsettling for the migrant ethnic population, it has become ever more apparent that visible participation and representation, are vital components in our efforts to build a united community.”
The event provided a very timely start to Good Relations Week 2024, which ran from 16 to 22 September 2024. This year’s theme was ‘OpportUNITY’ which is a call to action to create a brighter, more inclusive future for all. Find out more about GR Week here: https://goodrelationsweek.com/