Poverty can effectively be eliminated in Ireland, and at a pace unequalled in any other country, the Taoiseach told the conference.
Commenting on the assessment by the Combat Poverty Agency of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy, Mr Ahern said the task was now to focus on key groups such as children, older people and the homeless.
Since NAPS was launched, research had shown a decline in consistent poverty from 15 per cent to below 10, he said. Overall unemployment now stood below 5 per cent, down from almost 12 in 1996, and long-term unemployment had fallen to just over 2 per cent.
He stressed that economic growth was not an end in itself. "We have to make sure that short-term policies do not undermine our ability to build an economy capable of sustaining the levels of social supports we aspire to," he said.
This review of NAPS was valuable because, among other things, it showed the deficiencies in looking at income levels alone. "It has helped to concentrate attention on the complex realities of poverty, rather than on potentially superficial headline figures."
Despite progress on social welfare and the minimum wage, there had still been little progress on meeting the NAPS target for senior-cycle completion.
While one factor in this was the "pull" factor of abundant employment for border-line pupils, another was that the Government had not been ambitious enough in supporting schools and communities in their work with children at risk of leaving school early.
More attention also needed to be given to eliminating child poverty, and to this end the Government would be publishing an integrated children's strategy later this year, he said.