The Minister for Social Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, has said new ways of breaking cycles of disadvantage must be found.
The Minister said a revised National Anti-Poverty Strategy to be published this November would, "through consultation, learning and understanding, renew our response to the complex reality of poverty".
Mr Ahern was speaking at the launch yesterday of several reports, including a study by the Economic and Social Research Institute which showed a decline in the numbers of people living in basic deprivation and a widening gap between rich and poor.
Mr Ahern said he was pleased the report showed that the numbers of households in "consistent poverty" had decreased from 15 per cent to 8 per cent between 1994 and 1998.
The Government was on target to reduce the numbers of people consistently poor to below 5 per cent by 2004, he said.
"I am glad that after the negative comments inspired by last week's UN report we can point to real and substantial improvements in the lot of the weakest sections in our society," he said.
The UN Human Development report found that, proportionately, more people live in poverty in Ireland than in any other industrialised nation outside the US. Mr Ahern said the ESRI report showed that the best way out of poverty was through a job.
He pointed out that unemployment had fallen to 3.7 per cent and long-term unemployment has decreased from 7 per cent in 1996 to 1.2 per cent.
He also launched a submission by the Equality Authority on the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion which said new plans should combat discrimination and target resources on groups covered by equality legislation.