Monica McWilliams

Monica McWilliams co-founded the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition political party in 1996 and was elected to the multi- party peace negotiations leading to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. She was a member of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly until 2003 and subsequently Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission until 2010. She currently serves on the Independent Reporting Commission for the disbandment of paramilitary groups. Her memoir ‘Stand Up, Speak Out’ charts her activism on women’s rights, peace and equality. She is Emeritus Professor at Ulster University, a member of the Royal Irish Academy and a joint recipient of the JFKennedy Profiles in Courage award.