End cycle of inter-community conflict says Minister

Victims' Minister, Angela Smith has said that ending the cycle of inter-community conflict is key to building a better future for Northern Ireland's post conflict communities.

The Minister was speaking on the final day of an international conference in Belfast aimed at rebuilding local communities severely affected by 'The Troubles'.

"Building a better future for the people of Northern Ireland requires Government, local politicians, voluntary organisations and the wider community to all work together to find ways of dealing with the trauma of conflict," the Minister said.

"Much work has already been done, with more than £20 million invested in victims' initiatives. It is clear to me that there are many victims' whose needs have yet to be addressed and I intend to incorporate the valuable contributions from the workshops at this conference in my consultations on the next generation of victims' policy.

"Building trust and confidence between and within communities and tackling sectarianism are key priorities for Government. Ending the cycle of inter-community conflict is key to building a better future and removing a major barrier to social and economic growth," she added.

The three-day conference, hosted by the North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust together with the Eastern Health and Social Services Board, aimed to raise awareness of the impact of more than 30 years of conflict on the health and well-being of Northern Ireland's 1.6 million population.

Delegates, who included representatives of victims' groups, policymakers, local politicians and representatives from a range of other public bodies and the voluntary and community sector, devoted some time to considering what kind of strategy will be needed to address community needs post conflict.

The output of their work will be included in the Minister's considerations for the next generation of victims' policy.

(MB)