UN Economic and Social Development
Division for Sustainable Development

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United Nations General Assembly
19th Special Session
New York, 23-27 June 1997

Resolution Adopted By The General Assembly for the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21.

Eradicating poverty

27. Given the severity of poverty, particularly in developing countries, the eradication of poverty is one of the fundamental goals of the international community and the entire United Nations system, as reflected in Commitment 2 of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, 14/ and is essential for sustainable development. Poverty eradication is thus an overriding theme of sustainable development for the coming years. The enormity and complexity of the poverty issue could very well endanger the social fabric, undermine economic development and the environment, and threaten political stability in many countries. To achieve poverty eradication, efforts of individual Governments and international cooperation and assistance should be brought together in a complementary way. Eradication of poverty depends on the full integration of people living in poverty into economic, social and political life. The empowerment of women is a critical factor for the eradication of poverty. Policies that promote such integration to combat poverty, in particular policies for providing basic social services and broader socio-economic development, are effective as well since enhancing the productive capacity of poor people increases both their well-being and that of their communities and societies, and facilitates their participation in resource conservation and environmental protection. The provision of basic social services and food security in an equitable way is a necessary condition for such integration and empowerment. The 20/20 initiative as referred to in the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development 15/ is, among other things, a useful means for such integration. However, the five years since the Rio Conference have witnessed an increase in the number of people living in absolute poverty, particularly in developing countries. In this context, there is an urgent need for the timely and full implementation of all the relevant commitments, agreements and targets already agreed upon since the Rio Conference by the international community, including the United Nations system and international financial institutions. Full implementation of the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development is essential.

Priority actions include:

(a) Improving access to sustainable livelihoods, entrepreneurial opportunities and productive resources, including land, water, credit, technical and administrative training, and appropriate technology, with particular efforts to broaden the human and social capital basis of societies so as to reach the rural poor and the urban informal sector;

(b) Providing universal access to basic social services, including basic education, health care, nutrition, clean water and sanitation;

(c) Progressively developing, in accordance with the financial and administrative capacities of each society, social protection systems to support those who cannot support themselves, either temporarily or permanently; the aim of social integration is to create a "society for all";

(d) Empowering people living in poverty and their organizations by involving them fully in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of strategies and programmes for poverty eradication and community development and by ensuring that these programmes reflect their priorities;

(e) Addressing the disproportionate impact of poverty on women, in particular by removing legislative, policy, administrative and customary barriers to women's equal access to productive resources and services, including access to and control over land and other forms of property, credit, including micro-credit, inheritance, education, information, health care and technology. In this regard, full implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action 16/is essential;

(f) Working together of interested donors and recipients to allocate increased shares of official development assistance to poverty eradication. The 20/20 initiative is an important principle in this respect, as it is based on a mutual commitment among donors and recipients to increasing resources allocated to basic social services;

(g) Intensifying international cooperation to support measures being taken in developing countries to eradicate poverty, to provide basic social protection and services, and to approach poverty eradication efforts in an integral and multidimensional manner.

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UN Commission on Sustainable Development
4th Session
New York, 18 April – 3 May 1996

Report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on the Fourth Session (18 April-3 May 1996)

Decision 4/2. Combating poverty*

(* Chapter 3 of Agenda 21. For the discussion, see chapter III below.)

1. The Commission on Sustainable Development takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on combating poverty (E/CN.17/1996/9).

2. The Commission reiterates all the decisions made at its third session on the issue of combating poverty.

3. In accordance with commitment 2 of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development 6/ adopted by the World Summit for Social Development, the Commission urges Governments to formulate or strengthen, as a matter of urgency and preferably by the end of the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty (1996), national strategies to eradicate absolute poverty and reduce overall poverty. Such strategies should be comprehensive in order to address all aspects of poverty and integrate gender perspectives, and should also be geared towards substantially and sustainably reducing overall poverty in the shortest possible time, reducing inequalities, and eradicating absolute poverty by a target date to be specified by each country in its national context. In addition, the Commission recommends that Governments integrate environmental issues in such strategies and ensure that they are related to national sustainable development strategies, while recognizing that economic growth is a fundamental element of sustainable development. Such strategies should be supported by the international community, which should assist developing countries, including through international organizations, in their efforts to achieve the overall goal of eradicating poverty and ensuring basic social protection.

4. The Commission recognizes that meeting the basic human needs of all and eradicating absolute poverty is an objective of the highest priority that has been regarded as such in all the recent United Nations conferences convened since the World Summit for Children in 1990. In addition to the relevant conferences and conventions mentioned in the report on its third session, 5/ the Commission welcomes the Beijing Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women. 7/ The Commission notes, in particular, the important role played by women in poverty eradication strategies and the particularly difficult situations that they face, as described in chapter IV.A of the Platform, as well as the importance of integrating gender perspectives in policies and programmes. The Commission welcomes the preparatory work for the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), which emphasizes the importance of achieving the eradication of absolute poverty, the reduction of overall poverty and the creation of sustainable human settlements for ensuring sustainable development.

5. Since the general problem of poverty in developing countries, particularly in the least developed countries, is related to political, economic and social marginalization, all efforts to eradicate absolute poverty and reduce overall poverty within the context of sustainable development must be accompanied by mechanisms that would effectively address those issues.

6. The Commission suggests to the Economic and Social Council that in its future work the Commission focus its attention on the interlinkages between poverty and the environment, taking into account the fact that poverty is a complex multidimensional problem with origins in both the national and international domains, and recognizing that economic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development.

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UN Commission on Sustainable Development
3rd Session
New York, 11-28 April 1995

Report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on the Third Session (11-28 April 1995)

6. Combating poverty

73. The Commission welcomes the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development 7/ and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development. 8/ With reference to combating poverty, it takes note, in particular, of commitment 2 of the Declaration 9/ in which Governments commit themselves to the goal of eradicating poverty in the world, through decisive national actions and international cooperation. The Commission recalls that the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development 6/ embodies the principle that eradicating poverty is an indispensable requirement of sustainable development, and that all States and all people shall cooperate in this essential task. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 10/ in its section on commitments, 11/ and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, 12/ in its preambular section also recognize that economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of the developing countries and are essential to meeting sustainability objectives. This was reiterated in the recent decisions of the first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Berlin. The Commission further notes that in all the major United Nations conferences held since 1990, including the World Summit for Children, the International Conference on Nutrition, the World Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and Development and the World Summit for Social Development, there has been a recognition of the need to launch a global attack on poverty and commitments made in recognition of that need. The forthcoming 1995 World Conference on Women should similarly emphasize the importance of women in strategies to eradicate poverty.

74. The Commission stresses that the link between poverty eradication and sustainable development is complex and must be clearly understood. People living in poverty, with their meagre consumption, are also often reduced, by their lack of income and command over productive resources and their social exclusion, to eking out a precarious existence on marginal and ecologically fragile ecosystems where they often live under life- and health-threatening circumstances as well. The Commission is deeply convinced that economic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development, which is the framework for efforts to achieve a higher quality of life for all people. Equitable social development that recognizes empowering of the poor to utilize environmental resources sustainably is a necessary foundation for sustainable development. Broad-based and sustained economic growth within the context of sustainable development is necessary to sustain social development and social justice.

75. The Commission affirms that economic growth will continue to be important to combat poverty in the long run particularly in developing countries, but reliance cannot be placed on economic growth alone to combat poverty. There is an urgent need to formulate or strengthen policies and strategies geared to substantially reducing overall poverty in the shortest possible time, and reducing inequalities, and to eradicate absolute poverty by a target date to be specified by each country within its national context. Such strategies should also incorporate measures to ensure environmental sustainability. The essential task of eradicating poverty is an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. Strategies aimed at poverty eradication are also necessary to prevent the overexploiting of natural resources out of sheer survival strategies, which leads to the degradation of resources required to sustain populations over the long term.

76. The Commission stresses the need for a multidimensional and integrated approach towards the goal of poverty eradication in partnership with all actors of civil society. To this end, national strategies should be geared towards the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, in particular commitment 2 of the Declaration and chapter II of the Programme of Action. National budgets and policies should be oriented, as necessary, to meeting basic needs, reducing inequalities and targeting poverty as a strategic objective. The Commission further stresses that the promotion of full employment and the sustainable use of resources is an essential requirement for combating poverty and promoting social integration. The Commission notes that this is the primary responsibility of States themselves.

Governments must create an enabling economic environment aimed at promoting more equitable access for all to income, resources and social services. The Commission recognizes that women, as constituting the majority of the people living in abject poverty, and who bear a disproportionate share of the burden of poverty, must be a central focus of poverty eradication efforts. It also urges the introduction of programmes that would focus on the specific needs of children and youth, consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 13/ The Commission also recognizes that full participation of people living in poverty in the design, planning and implementation of projects aimed at the eradication of poverty would help ensure effective implementation of such strategies.

77. The Commission urges Governments to reaffirm, promote and strive to ensure the realization of rights contained in relevant international instruments and declarations, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 14/ the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 15/ and the Declaration on the Right to Development, 16/ including those relating to education, food, shelter, employment, health and information, particularly in order to assist people living in poverty. The Commission also recognizes the need to promote, as regards people living in poverty, access to - and opportunity for - food, water, employment, shelter, education, health, information, transportation and other essential public services. People living in poverty must be enabled so as to have access to productive resources and sustainable livelihoods, including credit, land, education and training, and technology. They should also be empowered to participate in the formulation and implementation of the policies and decisions affecting them.

78. The Commission reaffirms that a favourable international economic environment, and the critical provision of financial and technical assistance flows, are essential catalysts towards poverty eradication. Better terms of trade, better access to markets, particularly for labour-intensive products, for agricultural and agro-based products, and for those of medium- and small-scale enterprises, access to and transfer of environmentally sound technology on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed, taking into account the need to protect intellectual property rights as well as the special needs of developing countries are therefore also important conditions for sustainability. An effective, equitable, development-oriented and durable solution to the external debt problems of heavily indebted least developed and other low- income countries, particularly sub-Saharan countries, would be helpful to free up resources for programmes aimed at the eradication of poverty. Transfer of environmentally sound technologies is also indispensable for the adoption of sustainable production patterns both in industry and in agriculture. The Commission also stresses that activities geared towards eradication of poverty should be accompanied by meaningful programmes that aim to substantially reduce environmentally and socially unsustainable patterns of production and consumption.

79. The Commission stresses the need for the public accountability of private businesses.

80. The Commission reiterates the need for full implementation of the commitments, agreements and targets agreed upon by the international community aimed at the eradication of poverty. The Commission calls upon Governments, the international community, including the United Nations system, and IFIs as well as non-governmental organizations to pursue implementation in this context of commitment 2 of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and chapters II and V of the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, and chapter 3 of Agenda 21.

81. The Commission recommends that the Economic and Social Council, when considering a common framework for the implementation of the outcome of United Nations conferences in the economic and social fields, examine how to ensure synergy and cooperation between the Commission on Sustainable Development and other functional Commissions with responsibilities in the area of poverty eradication, including consideration about the proper division of labour among them.

82. The Commission suggests to the Economic and Social Council that in its future work the Commission on Sustainable Development focus its attention on the linkages between programmes aimed at poverty eradication and sustainable development deriving from Agenda 21 and the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development.

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