Ministers launch 'North/South Rural Voice'
Bríd Rogers, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development (NI) and Éamon Ó Cuív Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Ireland), made a joint announcement today on a new cross border initiative known as the North/South Rural Voice.
The Ministers, attending the North/South Ministerial Council Meeting at the St. Patricks Centre, Downpatrick, announced that the Rural Community Network and the Irish Rural Link have been successful in their application to deliver the Cross Border Community Development Measure of the Peace II Programme.
The Project will seek to promote the engagement of rural communities on both sides of the border. The RCN/IRL partnership will establish a Cross Border Network whose main aim is to provide support for the development of a cross border strategy to address the problems of weak community infrastructure and marginalisation in border communities.
Minister Rogers said I welcome this innovative approach to tackling the problems of weak community infrastructure on a cross border basis. North/South Voice will pro-actively promote reconciliation within and between rural communities on both sides of the border by bringing them together to focus on the pursuit of common goals.
Minister Ó Cuív said The North/South Rural Voice will be a new dynamic in advancing cross border community and rural development. This proposal will help strengthen groups on each side of the border in their own right, increase confidence and encourage cross community contacts and facilitate their capacity to develop actions and set priorities together.
Teagmháil / Contact: Oifig Eolais / Press and Information Office
Teil: 01 6473130. Facs: 6670826 Ephost: eolas@pobail.ie
Background
1. The Rural Community Network (RCN) is a voluntary organisation established by community groups in rural areas to articulate the voice of rural communities on issues of poverty and disadvantage and to seek greater support for community development as an approach for social change. It has a membership of over 500 groups. It is part core funded by DARDs Rural Development Programme (RDP) and works in association with networks to build the confidence and skills of rural people in preparation for engagement in the community regeneration process.
2. Irish Rural Link (IRL) is a national network of community groups, development organisations and individuals in rural development in the Republic of Ireland. Established in 1991 and managed by a voluntary Board of Directors, it aims to provide a forum for marginalised rural communities to voice their needs and present their case at policy making level. In 1997 IRL established a Cross Border Networking Project in the belief that promotion of networking and information exchange can create opportunities for reconciliation and greater understanding within and between rural communities in the border region.