All-Island Civil Society Forum on the Environment Dialogue
Northern Ireland Environment Link (NIEL) and the Irish Environmental Network received funding from the Government of Ireland Shared Island Civic Society Fund to develop and deliver a series of five facilitated thematic dialogues and a final in-person networking forum between January and September 2024.
The main purpose of the project was to promote and deepen cooperation and dialogue between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland eNGOs and environmental civil society groups so that the sector is equipped to fully engage with, and respond to, the new environmental regulatory and governance context post-Brexit.
Participants discussed shared challenges and possible solutions and policy responses that they believed were appropriate for introducing/implementing/exploring on an all-island basis or on both sides of the border.
The first dialogue took place online using Zoom on Wednesday 14 February from 10.30am until 1pm and set the context for the rest of the series and included an expert overview of the environmental regulatory context post-Brexit, a discussion on why deeper dialogue and cooperation between environmental organisations in Ireland and Northern Ireland was necessary and discussed the thematic areas might be prioritised in the remaining dialogues.
Biodiversity, with an emphasis on terrestrial, was the theme of the second session on Friday 12 April. This was followed by the third dialogue on Friday 17 May which focused on the Marine. The theme of the fourth dialogue on Thursday 27th June was Freshwater. The fifth dialogue took place on Friday 13th September and focused on Climate Change: policies, action and shaping public opinion
Following the five online dialogues, the IEN and NI Environment Link hosted an in-person all-island dialogue and networking event in the Imperial Hotel Dundalk on Friday 11 October.
Delegates discussed the findings of the online dialogues and our shared environmental challenges and possible solutions, and also revisited the complex issue of post-Brexit environmental governance. It also discussed how groups north and south can work together more effectively on an all-island basis.
Through the five online dialogues and in-person networking event, the All-Island Forum brought together over 250 participants from a wide range of environmental groups and campaigns across the island, creating space to collaborate, share ideas, and inspire change.
