Former US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton was awarded the Hans J Morgenthau award at an event in New York last night - organised by the National Committee of American Foreign Policy - commemorating 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin was among those who offered remarks, along with Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts and Senator George Mitchell.
The Tánaiste marked the contribution of the Clintons to the Northern Ireland peace process and noted "[Hillary Clinton's] friendship to Ireland, and all [her] leadership over many years in the cause of peace."
Mrs Clinton noted the contribution of the women of Northern Ireland to the peace process, "from both sides of the community" in her acceptance speech, along with the work of US politicians throughout the 1990s, including Senator Mitchell and her husband, then-President Bill Clinton.
She recalled her time in Belfast's Lamplighter Café in 1995, where she sat with the "mothers" of the Troubles, who continued their campaign following her visit.
Pivotal to the reaching of the agreement was granting a visa to Gerry Adams in 1994, Mrs Clinton said.
"It worked, it worked," said Mr Neal of this "extraordinary" act of courage.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin was among those who welcomed the Windsor Agreement, and spoke to his hope of the swift re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly, to respect the wishes of the people who voted in the May 2022 Assembly elections.
He thanked President Joe Biden for his steadfast support for the Good Friday Agreement and confirmation that President Biden is to visit Ireland next month were welcomed.
"We look forward to welcoming him home," Mr Martin said.
Mrs Clinton thanked the Tánaiste and the Irish people for welcoming thousands of Ukrainian refugees to the country following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and asked for the "spirit of the Good Friday Agreement" to achieve peace worldwide and to help the plight of refugees.
Mr Martin spoke of the Shared Island initiative he spearheaded as Taoiseach, noting that both governments have obligations to protect the hard-fought peace achieved through the Good Friday Agreement.
"We each have a duty to nurture the peace," he said.
British Trade Commissioner to North America, Emma Wade-Smith, confirmed the UK government’s "steadfast" commitment to the agreement.
