This meeting marked a significant milestone in the Joint Forum’s work on the development of the Partnership Agreement between Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector, which includes the Fair Funding Principles and Ways of Working. At the meeting we were pleased to confirm that these have now been formally accepted and agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive. It is anticipated that the Communities Minister will formally announce this in the NI Assembly before the summer recess.
As a Forum, we also finalised plans for delivery of our joint workplan for the year ahead, which will focus on supporting, monitoring, and evaluating the implementation of the Partnership Agreement across both sectors.
Other key updates at the meeting included:
- A briefing from the Departments of Finance and Communities on the current budgetary landscape, including insights from the UK Spending Review.
- An update on the Executive Programme on Paramilitarism and Organised Crime (EPPOC), which highlighted the value of a whole-systems and 'public health' style approach to strategy development, with collaborative working across government departments and with the sector at its core.
We also took the opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you and farewell to Tracy Johnston, whose leadership and commitment as Joint Chair have been instrumental in progressing agreement on the Partnership Agreement and shaping a meaningful workplan for the Forum which has maintaining progress and momentum against implementation of the agreement, including the Fair Funding Principles at its core.
What’s Next?
The next full Joint Forum meeting will take place on Thursday, 23 October 2025. In the meantime, a number of cross-sectoral working groups will continue to progress key areas of work in support of the Forum’s objectives and work plan.
For More Information
For further information on the Joint Forum please visit :Joint Government and Voluntary Sector Forum (Joint Forum) | NICVA or if you have any other queries get in touch via Joint Forum Secretariat: [email protected]
