The importance of mutual respect and challenging the causes of division were highlighted today by Junior Minister Jeffrey Donaldson.

He was speaking at the 'Voices of the Future, Legacies of the Past' conference in Belfast which presented initial findings from research looking at the role of education in reconciliation in the post conflict settings of Northern Ireland and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mr Donaldson said: "All over the world today, individuals, communities and governments all have to tackle the often difficult challenge of living and working together harmoniously.

"In a deeply divided society, or one emerging from conflict, this challenge is all the greater. It often requires fresh and innovative thinking to be applied to age old problems.

"We all must find ways to confront fears and challenge mindsets, to acknowledge past differences, to respect individuality and to find new shared goals to strive towards," he said.

The conference focused on the role of education in helping successive generations of children and young people understand the recent conflict in Northern Ireland and how to contribute towards future reconciliation.

The Minister continued: "I, along with my colleague Gerry Kelly, have special responsibility for children and young people's issues. It is vital that we as a society ensure that the causes of division and sectarianism do not follow down to our children and young people.

"The decisions and choices that we make today, have the potential to fundamentally change, for better or for worse, the world our children and grandchildren will live in.

"Key to achieving this goal of a shared and better future is the way we educate and enlighten our children. How we model their perceptions of the past will determine their attitudes in the future.

"Our new inclusive society must be a tolerant one where our children can play together and learn together with self-respect and respect for others," he concluded.

(BMcC)