Description

In my Foreword to the 1998 CAWT Annual Report I rather tentatively explored what I called the "opportunities and challenges" presented by the new political landscape being formed as a result of the Good Friday Agreement. The final months of the Millennium were a period of intense political development on both sides of the border. culminating in the establishment of an Assembly in N Ireland and the launch of a number of cross border bodies. The principles of co-operation and collaboration embodied in the Agreement and underpinning the new relationships which are developing between N Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are not new to those of us who have been involved in the work of CAWT since its inception in 1992. Indeed. I have to say with all humility that the original Ballyconnell Agreement made in July 1992 (updated in October 1998 and included here as Appendix 1) was founded on the strong commitment of Health and Social Care Agencies on both sides of the border to exploit opportunities for cooperation in the planning and provision of services which would improve the health and social wellbeing of their resident populations. The years since 1992 have seen CAWT grow in confidence to a point where I believe it serves as a model of co-operation. The effectiveness of CAWT as a vehicle for relevant and practical cooperation in the field of health and social care has been recognised by Governments in both jurisdictions.