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The years following the Rio Conference (1992) have witnessed an
increase in the number of people living in absolute poverty,
particularly in developing countries. The enormity and complexity of the
poverty issue could endanger the social fabric, undermine economic
development and the environment, and threaten political stability in
many countries.
The General Assembly, in its 1997 Programme for the Further
Implementation of Agenda 21 (para 27) decided that poverty eradication
should be an overriding theme of sustainable development for the coming
years. It is one of the fundamental goals of the international community
and of the entire United Nations system, as reflected not only in
Chapter 3 of Agenda 21, but also in commitment 2 of the Copenhagen
Declaration on Social Development. Poverty is addressed in
Chapter II of the
Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation.
Priority actions include: (1) improving access to sustainable
livelihoods, entrepreneurial opportunities and productive resources; (2)
providing universal access to basic social services; (3) progressively
developing social protection systems to support those who cannot support
themselves; (4) empowering people living in poverty and their
organizations; (5) addressing the disproportionate impact of poverty on
women; (6) working with interested donors and recipients to allocate
increased shares of ODA to poverty eradication; and (7) intensifying
international cooperation for poverty eradication.
In the context of the multi-year programme of work adopted by the
General Assembly for the Commission on Sustainable Development, poverty
appears as an "overriding issue" on the agenda of the CSD each
year.
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