Good Friday Agreement 25 years on: What is it?
UTV's Good Friday Agreement explainer from 1998
The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was signed on April 10, 1998.
The historic deal, which largely brought an end to the Troubles, came after an extensive talks process involving many of the main political parties in Northern Ireland and the British and Irish Governments.
It established a power sharing government between unionists and nationalists at Stormont and came after a public referendum which backed the deal.
The Agreement resulted in the creation of the three strands of political structures, covering Northern Ireland’s governance, North-South relations, and East-West relations.
Strand One established the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive to make laws and decisions on most of the issues affecting everyday life in Northern Ireland.
Strand Two established the North-South institutions - the North-South Ministerial Council and the North-South Implementation Bodies - that support co-operation between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Strand Three established the East-West institutions - the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference and the British-Irish Council - that support co-operation between the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The deal was struck after almost two years of talks and set up an Assembly with powers to legislate.
The Good Friday Agreement was co-signed by the British and Irish governments with the Taoiseach of the time, Bertie Ahern representing the Republic in the talks.
Strand One included agreement on the appointment of a First and deputy First Minister.
Also agreed 25 years ago was decommissioning - with a deadline of two years set as parties pledged to use their influence - along with both governments agreeing to put in place mechanisms to provide for an accelerated release programme for prisoners.
Back in the 1990s the talks - chaired by former US Senator George Mitchell and involving both Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern - frequently broke down.
They culminated in all, including Northern Ireland's eight political parties, getting together ahead of the April 9 deadline and working through the night to find a deal.
Finally on April 10, an agreement had been reached.
Twenty five years on, former US president Bill Clinton described the signing of the Good Friday Agreement as “one of the happiest days” of his presidency and his life.
Mr Clinton called the signing of the 1998 peace deal an act of “bravery” from all sides.
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