Monica McWilliams

Professor Monica McWilliams was appointed Chief Commissioner for Human Rights in Northern Ireland in September 2006. She is currently on leave from the University of Ulster where she is Professor of Women’s Studies.

 

Previously she served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2003 and was an elected member of the Multi-Party Peace Negotiations which led to the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in 1998. She was a co-founder and leader of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition from 1997-2005.

 

She has published widely on domestic violence, human security and the role of the political conflict on women’s lives. Her work has been recognised by the John F Kennedy Leadership and Courage Award and the Frank Cousin’s Peace Award. She has received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Lesley College, Massachusetts and Mount Mary College, Milwaukee and is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Michigan.