Former US President Barack Obama has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Queen’s University Belfast, where he praised Northern Ireland’s progress and challenged the next generation to continue building a peaceful and inclusive future.
Accepting the honorary doctorate during a special ceremony at Queen’s University with students, staff and invited guests, President Obama reflected on Northern Ireland’s journey since the Good Friday Agreement and the role young people can play in shaping the future.
President Obama said that while peace had transformed opportunities across Northern Ireland, its benefits must continue to be shared by all.
Recalling a previous visit to Belfast in 2013, President Obama said young people today faced significant challenges but also had reasons to remain hopeful: “The Good Friday Agreement is still a shining example of what can happen when people put aside old wounds and choose peace.
“But as we have seen in many countries, including in my home country the United States, peace and democracy are not inevitable. They have to be chosen, again and again.”
The former President highlighted the importance of education and widening participation initiatives in ensuring that young people from all backgrounds can realise their ambitions following a citation by Emma McAllister, a first-year Law with Politics student from North Belfast.
Emma first engaged with Queen’s aged 15 through R-CITY, a cross-community programme that helps young people from Ardoyne and Shankill together to access leadership and educational opportunities.
Following the citation, President Obama praised efforts to bring together young people from communities across Belfast and help them see higher education as being within reach. “That’s what peace makes possible. And it’s what Queen’s and the supporters in this room are helping to make real,” he said.
In his closing remarks, President Obama encouraged the Queen’s community to continue demonstrating what is possible through inclusion and ambition.
“I want to use this opportunity as an honorary Queen’s graduate to leave you all with a challenge and that is to keep showing the way,” he said.
Queen’s President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Ian Greer, congratulated President Obama receiving the University’s highest honour: “We are privileged to welcome President Obama to Queen’s.
“His commitment to peace, dialogue and public service has left a lasting impact around the world, and particularly here in Northern Ireland.”
Reflecting on the event, Emma McAllister, said: “President Obama’s message about opportunity and the power of young people to shape the future has a very personal meaning for me.
“Through R-CITY, I was encouraged to challenge myself, develop as a leader and believe that a place like Queen’s was within reach.
“Standing here as a Queen’s student and presenting President Obama with an honorary doctorate was a powerful reminder that, as he said, our starting point need not determine how far we can go. His example continues to inspire young people to recognise their own capacity to make a difference.”
Emma, a past pupil of Dominican College Fortwilliam, joined R-CITY at the age of 15 and completed Queen’s-accredited qualifications in Youth Leadership and Community Action before beginning her studies at the University.
President Obama will be speaking in Glasgow tonight.