“At a time of multiple global crises, the poorest and most vulnerable have a special claim on our attention. We know that, in any recession, those hurt first—and worst—are the poor. According to recent estimates, the global economic crisis has claimed at least 50 million jobs this year. As many as 100 million more people are expected to fall below the poverty line in 2009.”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Message for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
17 October 2009
A beneficiary of the Skills Training for Gainful Employment Programme (STAGE), a project which aims to reduce poverty and promote economic growth, learns the trade of blacksmithing. UN Photo/Martine Perret.
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed every year since 1993, when the General Assembly, by resolution 47/196, designated this day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries, particularly in developing countries - a need that has become a development priority.
At the Millennium Summit, world leaders committed themselves to cutting by half by the year 2015 the number of people living in extreme poverty - people whose income is less than one dollar a day.
17 October presents an opportunity to acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty, a chance for them to make their concerns heard, and a moment to recognize that poor people are the first ones to fight against poverty. Participation of the poor themselves has been at the center of the Day's celebration since its very beginning. The commemoration of 17 October also reflects the willingness of people living in poverty to use their expertise to contribute to the eradication of poverty.
This year’s observance highlights the role of the convention in securing children’s rights, in particular the right to survival and full development, the right to protection from abuse and exploitation and the right to participation in family, cultural and social life. Participation also means that children have the right to express their opinions and have those opinions heard and acted upon when appropriate.