Minister Kitt welcomes Dochas statement on E.U. Presidency
Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights, Tom Kitt T.D. today welcomed the statement by Dóchas (the Irish Association of Non-Governmental organisations) on the Irish Presidency of the EU, human security and the fight against global poverty.
Minister of State Kitt stated :
“I fully share the concerns of Dochas and its members in relation to the importance of Human Security in the development context. This concept informs all our development interventions, which seek to enhance human well being by putting people and their livelihoods at the centre of the overseas development assistance programme of the Government. We are working closely with a wide range of partners including Governments, NGOs, UN Agencies and International Organisations to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of halving world poverty by 2015.”
“Our Presidency of the EU presents a valuable opportunity to highlight and progress the development agenda and to focus on key challenges and opportunities in reducing poverty at the global level. We must not forget that the EU is the largest contributor to humanitarian and development assistance in the world”
“The greatest risk to sustainable development and human security is the HIV/Aids pandemic. This will be a key focus of our Presidency and will include a major conference on HIV/Aids in European and Central Asia. This conference will be the first regional meeting on HIV/Aids held by the 55 countries involved.”
“The humanitarian agenda of saving and protecting lives in the context of conflict, natural disasters will be addressed at a meeting of the EU Humanitarian Assistance Committee in Dublin in March. This meeting will provide a valuable opportunity to examine the role of Humanitarian Principles in conflict situations. A conference on conflict prevention and the role of civil societies will be held at the beginning of April”
“The development agenda is crowded, varied and complex. However the overall aim of all of us passionately interested in development is the reduction of poverty and misery in the world. For the first time we have clearly defined and measurable objectives in the Millennium Development Goals. The way forward is through partnerships at every level addressing the root causes of poverty. Our Presidency of the EU will enable us to pursue and develop this agenda with our partners in the EU. We will continue to dialogue with Dochas throughout our Presidency”
