Bronagh Hinds, who helped to found the cross-community Women’s Coalition, has dedicated her CBE honour to all who have worked to further women’s rights in Northern Ireland.
Ms Hinds said it was a “great privilege” to be nominated, adding she had decided to accept the honour to help promote the message of reconciliation and inclusion.
She becomes a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to peace and promoting women’s rights.
Ms Hinds was at the centre of the formation of the Women’s Coalition in 1996, during the peace negotiations which led to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
The party, which had two MLAs elected at the first Northern Ireland Assembly elections, is often credited with pushing other political parties to pay more attention to women’s issues and to increase the representation of women.
Ms Hinds said she had been involved in developing women’s organisations since the 1970s.
She said: “We had a lot of women contributing to the Women’s Coalition so I see this award not just for me but a recognition of the many, many women across Northern Ireland who have been working on women’s rights.
“We have brilliant women’s organisations in Northern Ireland who really don’t get the recognition they deserve.
“There is a long way to go yet. Look at the world culture on conflict at the moment and how ultra-macho it is and how abusive it is. It leaves very little room for people to create space for peace, for dialogue.”
Ms Hinds has spent much of her career working in the voluntary sector. She has been director of Gingerbread and the Ulster People’s College as well as serving as deputy chief commissioner of the Equality Commission.
She has also been heavily involved in international peace building efforts, having worked in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine and Jordan.
Ms Hinds acknowledged that it was “quite a struggle” when she received the letter informing her of the CBE nomination.
She said: “We have moved on in 25 years since the conflict and I had to examine myself in relation to this.
“I have received awards from other places and, of course, it is an honour.
“However, it is not always acceptable within Northern Ireland.
“I looked at the situation and I said if we are British and Irish, if we are living up to that and we are building reconciliation and inclusion and moving on I think it is very important to accept the award.
“So, why wouldn’t I accept an award from the UK system as much as accepting an award from any other system?”
She added: “I don’t want to undermine that I think it is a great privilege to have been awarded this honour.
“My greatest struggle was the title being empire, that has a certain resonance here.
“I had to weigh up that against the notion of trying to be a symbol of inclusion, equality and rights for everyone and working within all sorts of systems.
“I am very concerned that we address the legacies that all empires have left us with. We need to be using this to be working for a global respect and order.”