Equality Needed to Eliminate Poverty

9 September 2005

Equality Needed to Eliminate Poverty

NZNO supports tomorrow's international White Band day preceding the UN General Assembly review of the Millennium Declaration to eradicate extreme poverty by meeting the target of 0.7% of Gross National Income in aid assistance.

"The activities around the country tomorrow supporting the Millennium Declaration are also an opportunity to focus on poverty in New Zealand," said NZNO spokesperson Sharon Clair. "All political parties need to identify the measures they support to eradicate poverty - in the developing world, and here at home."

Sharon Clair said equality of access to health services and decent employment was vital to eradicating poverty in New Zealand and world wide.

"Behind the 300,000 children living in poverty in New Zealand someone is working to provide for, care for and support that child," she said.

"We need to ensure those workers and carers have adequate incomes and access to affordable good quality health care and education."

Sharon Clair said NZNO was calling on all political parties to commit to eradicating poverty in New Zealand by addressing inequality of access to health, education and employment and was urging New Zealanders to consider these issues when they vote.

"A return to the policies of inequality of the nineties when New Zealand had the fastest growing income gap in the western world would increase poverty," she said. "Privatisation of health, education and social services would be disastrous affecting those who can least afford it, creating an underclass of people and running down public health and other services.

ENDS

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