MINISTERS FROM BOTH sides of the border will discuss co-operation on emergency planning, business promotion and gender-based violence at a major meeting today.

The 30th plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council, a body set up after the Good Friday Agreement, will take place at Farmleigh House.

It brings together ministers from the Irish government and the Northern Ireland executive twice a year.

The Northern Ireland Executive delegation will be led by First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.

The Dublin delegation will be led by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who said it was an opportunity to discuss areas of “shared focus and ambition”.

Ministers also attended a shared dinner on Thursday evening.

Martin said the plenary session will be the first opportunity for a collective cross-government and cross-border discussion on emergency planning and preparedness.

He said: “Weather events and other emergencies recognise no borders and further co-operation in this area will be important going forward.

“The meeting is also an opportunity to return to discussions from previous plenaries that remain pertinent, including promoting joint opportunities for business and trade on this island and much further afield, and tackling gender-based violence together.

“Finally, I look forward to being updated by all ministers on North South co-operation under their portfolios, ranging from day-to-day cross-border engagement to major infrastructure projects – all of which contribute to realising the full potential of our shared island.”

Tanaiste and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris said: “These are important meetings, first and foremost from a work perspective and in terms of the impetus they give to North South co-operation in the different areas, but also on a more human level.

“As elected representatives on this island, it is important, as we discuss matters of common interest to the people we represent, that we also take time to get to know each other better, to understand each other’s perspectives a little more.

“Occasions such as this afford us such opportunities, and it is important that we grasp them.”