25 Facts About Monica McWilliams

Monica Mary McWilliams was born on 28 April 1954 and is a Northern Irish academic, peace activist, human rights defender and former politician.

Monica McWilliams served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast South from 1998 to 2003, and chaired the Implementation Committee on Human Rights on behalf of the British and Irish governments.

Monica McWilliams currently sits on the Independent Reporting Commission for the disbandment of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland.

Monica McWilliams is Emeritus Professor in the Transitional Justice Institute at Ulster University and continues her academic research into domestic violence.

Monica McWilliams is a graduate of Queen's University Belfast and the University of Michigan, and became a Professor of Women's Studies and Social Policy at the University of Ulster.

Monica McWilliams was inspired by Martin Luther King and watched the civil rights movement grow under his leadership in North America, noting herself that rights in Northern Ireland were of real concern too.

Monica McWilliams's focus for Northern Ireland was on a broader vision of peace based on inclusion, human rights and equality.

In 1996, Monica McWilliams won a seat with Sagar representing the Women's Coalition at the multi-party peace talks in Northern Ireland leading to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Monica McWilliams was elected as one of two Northern Ireland Women's Coalition Members of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2003, representing South Belfast.

Monica McWilliams returned to her university post from 2003 until she was appointed by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland as full-time Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in June 2005, for a three-year term.

Monica McWilliams was reappointed for a second term, in September 2008.

Monica McWilliams was one of three persons appointed in December 2011 to a Prisons Reform Oversight Group advising the Northern Ireland Department of Justice.

Monica McWilliams was appointed by international treaty between the British and Irish governments to the Independent Reporting Commission from 2017 to 2021 to oversee the recommendations from the Panel report.

Monica McWilliams chaired the Governing Board of Interpeace, an international NGO based in Geneva, until July 2021 and is Emeritus Professor in the Transitional Justice Institute at Ulster University.

Monica McWilliams helped establish Politics in Action and is on their board of directors.

Monica McWilliams has co-authored two books and three government-published research studies: Bringing It Out in the Open: Domestic Violence in Northern Ireland and Taking Domestic Violence Seriously: Issues for the Civil and Criminal Justice System and 'Intimate Partner Violence in Conflict and Post-Conflict Societies Insights and Lessons from Northern Ireland'.

Monica McWilliams has published several articles on the impact of political conflict, on conflict resolution and women's rights.

Monica McWilliams has facilitated workshops with women in conflict regions including Columbia, Myanmar, Uganda, DRC, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel and Palestine.

Monica McWilliams was one of nine signatories of the Northern Ireland peace process jointly awarded the John F Kennedy Library Profile in Courage Award in 1998.

Monica McWilliams was featured in the documentary "Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs", a history of the Northern Ireland's Women's Coalition.

Monica McWilliams's book Stand up Speak Out: My Life working for women's rights, peace and equality in Northern Ireland and beyond was published in 2021.

Monica McWilliams was a joint recipient of the Frank Cousins Peace Award in 1999.

Monica McWilliams has received honorary doctorates from Lesley College, Mount Mary College, University of York, Queen's University Belfast, Dublin City University and Trinity College Dublin.

Also in 2018 Monica McWilliams was inducted into The Irish Tatler Hall of Fame.

In November 2023, Monica McWilliams was named to the BBC's 100 Women list.