Stormont Ministers Target Poverty

The aim of eradicating poverty and inequality is at the heart of the Stormont Executive's agenda.

That's according to Junior Ministers Robin Newton and Gerry Kelly who yesterday stressed the aim when speaking at an Amnesty International event that focused on Poverty and Human Rights and the Millennium Development Goals.

Speaking in the Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings, the Ministers underlined the importance of countries working together to eradicate poverty and hunger.

DUP Junior Minister Newton (pictured) said: "We know that even if Millennium Development Goals are achieved, there will still be millions of people in the world in severe poverty, millions who do not have an adequate standard of living and millions of adults and children who are hungry.

"The Executive, the All-Party International Development Committee, the NGO's and stakeholders must all work together to eradicate poverty."

Also commenting, Sinn Fein Minister Kelly said: "As an Executive we must seek to empower people and support them out of poverty and into employment and inclusion in wider society. This aspiration should apply as much in developing countries as it does here.

"So the Executive has a dual-role, we must seek to eradicate poverty here and help to eradicate poverty at a global level. Both are essential but the solutions will be very different."

He said that the event was a wonderful opportunity to focus on poverty from a rights perspective and to develop the discussion about how to implement international obligations in domestic policy-making and in contributing to wider responsibilities.

(BMcC/GK)