Caritas Internationalis General Secretary and EU Ambassador of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion Lesley-Ann Knight will be at the Closing Conference of the European Year 2010 that will be held tomorrow, Friday 17 December.

Belgium’s Secretary of State for Social Integration and Combating Poverty, Mr. Philippe Courard, organiser of the event, has invited Ms. Lesley-Ann to contribute to the Closing Conference.

Ms. Knight will deliver a speech on behalf of the EY2010 coalition of social NGOs and hand over to Mr. Courard the more than 135,000 signatures collected by Caritas organisations across Europe in the framework of the Zero Poverty campaign.

Ms. Knight will also deliver, along with Commissioner László Andor, the European Award for Outstanding Journalist of the Year 2010. An award established by the European Commission to support and reward journalists who have contributed to the awareness of poverty and social exclusion.

The event is taking place the European Commission Charlemagne Building. Rue de la Loi 170, 1040 Brussels.

For more information, contact
Alain Rodriguez
Web Editor
+32 (0)2 235 26 54
arodriguez@caritas-europa.org

Additional information:
The programme of the Closing Conference can be downloaded at:
http://www.mi-is.be/be_en/04/Belgisch%20Europees%20Voorzitterschap/slot/content/Closing%20EN.pdf