Three Consultation Events are taking place 24-26 March 2026 to mark the formal introduction of an ambitious ESRC-funded research partnership to develop the first comprehensive, data-led measurement of both negative and positive peace in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Irish Peace Index will provide an empirical framework to understand changes in peacefulness over time, identify key drivers of progress, and strengthen evidence-based peacebuilding strategies.

Places are limited and must be booked in advance.  Please select the event you wish to attend:

24 March 2026

5.00pm to 7.00pm

Room 0G.074, Lanyon Building, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast

Register for this event here

25 March 2026

2.00pm to 4.00pm

Holywell Trust, 10-14 Bishop Street Within, Derry-Londonderry, BT48 6PW

Register for this event here

26 March 2026

3.00pm to 5.00pm

Senate Room, Lanyon Building, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast

Register for this event here

The consultation events will feature presentations from:

• Dr Andrew Thomson, Queen’s University Belfast
• Professor Dominic Bryan, Queen’s University Belfast
• David Hammond, Institute for Economics and Peace
• Paulina Pijacka, Institute for Economics and Peace

The sessions will outline proposals for measuring negative peace — the relative absence of violence, as captured globally in the Global Peace Index — and positive peace, a concept originally developed by Johan Galtung and further operationalised by the Institute for Economics and Peace as the attitudes, institutions, and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies.

Moving beyond the measurement of violence reduction alone, the Positive Peace framework conceptualises peace as the optimal environment in which human potential can flourish.   Drawing on systems thinking and the internationally recognised Pillars of Positive Peace, the NIPI will assess how peace interconnects with wider societal outcomes.   The discussion will also explore how a Positive Peace framework can complement existing peacebuilding strategies and how stakeholders across government and civil society can integrate positive peace principles into practice.

After a decade of concentrated effort on community relations/good relations, this project presents a timely opportunity to refresh and strengthen Northern Ireland’s peacebuilding architecture through rigorous evidence and shared understanding.

The Northern Irish Peace Index will be published in September 2026, with a longer-term ambition to produce regular updates in partnership with key stakeholders, ensuring that peace remains a measurable, tangible, and actionable policy objective.