International Delegation Targets North Belfast Communities

There is to be a high-powered visit to areas of north Belfast today as residents receive advice from international regeneration experts.

The initiative is to look at how best to develop deprived areas, with the focus on community involvement.

North Belfast contains some of the highest levels of deprivation in Northern Ireland with regard to health, education, employment and housing.

However, with more than £230m investment earmarked for the Girdwood Army Barracks site and the adjacent Crumlin Road Jail, the 'Participation and Practice of Rights Project', which is organising today's meeting, said it was important that the local residents were given a say in the schemes.

Inez McCormack, who will chair the meeting, has called on local people to get involved.

"This is their opportunity to say we want to be heard, but secondly to say we want to hear about the best practice, we want to hear about the best standards and we want to cautiously and constructively move forward with the government and their departments," said Ms McCormack.

Following today's event a 'Residents' Jury' will develop human rights indicators and benchmarks to ensure that the rights of the most disadvantaged groups within the surrounding communities are central to the regeneration process.

Other speakers at the public meeting will include Virginia Bras Gomes from Portugal and a member of the UN Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights; Ron Shiffman from the United States, who is a founding member of the Pratt Center for Community Development in New York; Professor Richard Wilkinson from the University of Nottingham and author of 'The Impact of Inequality'; and Joseph McNeely, Coordinator of the Central Baltimore Partnership.

(PR/JM)