US Reverses Course, Announces $4 Million for Ireland Peace Fund
The US has reversed its decision to end funding for the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), announcing a new $4 million package. The IFI, established in 1986, has been vital for peacebuilding in Northern Ireland. This funding also protects nearly $2 billion in US investments in the region.
The US has reversed its decision to cease funding for the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), announcing a new $4 million support package. The IFI, established in 1986 by the Irish and British governments with US support, was crucial in laying the groundwork for the Belfast Agreement.
This peace and reconciliation project has funded the removal of peace walls in Northern Ireland and programs preventing paramilitary recruitment. US President Donald Trump had initiated dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID) last year, leading to an early March announcement that the US would end its main financial support for the IFI.
However, on Monday, US Ambassador to Ireland Edward S. Walsh announced the new funding. He stated that supporting stability also safeguards nearly $2 billion in American business investments in Northern Ireland and the wider region. IFI chairperson Shona McCarthy welcomed the funding as crucial for their new five-year peacebuilding strategy, highlighting the US's vital political and financial support over the past 40 years, which totals over $500 million.