180 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Social Welfare the initiatives, if any, which have been taken by his Department to mark the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. [3109/96]

In December 1995, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution on the observance of the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty 1996 and proclaimed the first UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty.

The international community, through the auspices of the UN, has already reached a consensus on and committed itself to the eradication of poverty. In terms of the iniatives at the level of member states, the emphasis of the resolution is on the implementation of the programmes of action arising out of the recent UN conferences, most notably at the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen last year.