Peace Link Among 9 Irish Projects Shortlisted for European Innovation in Politics Awards

Nine impactful and diverse Irish projects have been shortlisted for this year’s Europe-wide Innovation in Politics Awards. They are among 80 finalists selected by a European Jury of 1,053 citizens. Organised by the Innovation in Politics Institute based in Vienna, the Innovation in Politics Awards aim to recognise ground-breaking political initiatives across Europe at any level of governance that can act as an inspiration to others. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on 17 November 2018 in Vienna, Austria.

Over 600 projects from all over Europe were nominated in eight categories: Civilisation, Community, Democracy, Human Rights, Ecology, Jobs, Prosperity, and Quality of Life. The European Jury selected 10 finalists in each category.

Peace Link – Building Relations through Sport has been shortlisted in the ‘Quality of Life’ Category.

The Peace Link Project was developed by the Clones Erne East Sports Partnership which was a consortium of community, sporting and statutory organisations based along the Fermanagh and Monaghan border region. This initiative was built on previous work carried out by Clones Community Forum under EU PEACE I and PEACE II in bringing community and sporting organisations together to work strategically and collaboratively to build peace through the mechanism of sport. The project aimed to provide a sporting hub from which activities and events could be delivered that would positively impact meaningful relationships and peace building across the Clones and Erne East areas in counties Monaghan and Fermanagh respectively. The sporting hub is located within walking distance of Clones town centre and is approximately 500m from the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Monaghan County Council assumed the role as lead partner for a €7.8-million application to the EU PEACE III Shared Spaces Programme. The project received cross-party support in both jurisdictions. Opened in 2014, the project surpasses all expectations in terms of building community relations through sport and is a hub for building a healthy, vibrant community for all ages and backgrounds.

The list of all 80 finalists can be found on the Innovation in Politics Awards website.

For further information on the Innovation in Politics Awards see www.innovationinpolitics.eu