United Nations System-Wide Plan of Action on the SecondUnited Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017). The Theme is “Full Employment and Decent Work for All”.
On 20 October 2008, The Second Committee held a Panel discussion on the “Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017).
In December 2007, the General Assembly (resolution A/RES/62/205) proclaimed the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017) reiterating that eradicating poverty was the greatest global challenge facing the world and a core requirement for sustainable development, especially for developing countries. The proclamation recalls the outcomes of the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly.
During the implementation of the first Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), several United Nations summits and conferences resulted in negotiated outcomes focusing national, regional and international efforts on poverty eradication. They include the UN Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing for Development and the 2005 World Summit Outcome. Despite new commitments to poverty eradication, and the efforts towards the implementation of the first Decade for Poverty Eradication, the progress made in reducing poverty world-wide has been uneven. Although some regions experienced poverty reductions, in many countries poverty has been on the rise, especially among women and children.
The second Decade aims at supporting, in an efficient and coordinated manner, the internationally agreed development goals related to poverty eradication, including the Millennium Development Goals. It stresses the importance of reinforcing the positive trends in poverty reduction in some countries and extend such trends to benefit people worldwide. The proclamation recognizes the importance of mobilizing financial resources for development at national and international levels and acknowledges that sustained economic growth, supported by rising productivity and a favourable environment, including private investment and entrepreneurship is vital for rising living standards.
[accordion-item title=”More about the Second UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty”]General Assembly resolution 63/230 of 19 December 2008 on the Second UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017) set “Full employment and decent work for all” as a theme for the Decade. The resolution called for a more coherent and integrated UN system-wide response.
At its Seventeenth Session held in Geneva on 26-27 February 2009, the High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) agreed to establish a time-bound cluster group of Committee members, co-led by UN-DESA and the ILO, to prepare a draft coordinated, substantive and coherent system-wide plan of action for poverty eradication on full employment and decent work.
The HLCP meeting in October 2009 reviewed and endorsed the system-wide plan of action. The plan of action covers four types of joint activities: awareness raising about employment and decent work as an effective development strategy for poverty eradication; strengthening capacity-building (training, skills development, knowledge sharing); sharing good practices in promoting employment and decent work at the national and international levels; and providing support in integrating decent work towards poverty eradication into national and international policies and programmes.
Particular focus is given to employment and decent work, including youth employment, working poor, social protection, in particular to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in the light of the current global crises, support for sustainable enterprises, gender equality, standards and rights at work, and social dialogue. In implementing these activities the UN system will work closely with social partners, NGOs, civil society, and other actors in order to support national governments to implement internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, related to the eradication of poverty.
In view of the emphasis on system-wide coherence, the plan of action is built around activities where synergies would lead to substantial increased benefits. In this regard, the framework and platform already developed in support of the Chief Executive Board’s (CEB) Toolkit on mainstreaming full employment and decent work and promoted for use in the ECOSOC resolution 2007/2 on “The role of the UN system in providing full employment and decent work for all” proved an invaluable basis upon which to build this policy application.
Latest General Assembly Resolution
Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008–2017)
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Latest General Assembly Report
Implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017)
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Related Links
- Social Protection Floor Inter-Agency Website
- The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and ILO
- HLCP report CEB/2009/1
- International Labour Organization (ILO)
- World Tourism Organization (UNWTO/OMT)
- Report of the World Bank on Social Protection and Labour (2000-2008)
- World Bank Social Projects on Social Protection
- ILO, UN DESA, IFAD, FAO launch joint initiatives to “unleash rural development through employment and decent work”
- UNICEF Social Protection Framework
- ILO Social Protection Floor
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