Activities

Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

2024

17 October 2024: International financial system ‘not fit for purpose’ to address catastrophic debt crisis: UN poverty expert

15 October 2024: Statement on the analysis of the draft EU Anti-Poverty Strategy

3 July 2024, 13:00-14:00 CET: Participation of people in poverty: The secret weapon in the fight against poverty (Hybrid HRC56 Side Event) More info and register to attend

25 June 2024, 15:00 CET: Ending criminalization of homelessness and poverty
Virtual HRC side event, More info | Meeting link

20 March 2024: Side event at the margins of the 55^th session of the Human Rights Council on “Eradicating poverty beyond GDP: preparing for the next Development Goals”

2023

Events and conferences

14 December 2023: Social Platform: Social Rights are Human Rights: The European Social Charter and EU Law in the Area of Social Rights for Building Social Justice

7 December 2023: Human Rights Research Network: ‘The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 75: Rethinking and Constructing its Future Together’

5 December 2023: Caritas 30^th anniversary

23 November 2023: ILO: Building Resilient Social Protection Systems through Integrated Policies

21 November 2023: Tax Justice Network: A climate for tax justice

14 November 2023: European Anti-Poverty Network: 2023 European meeting of people experiencing poverty

9 November 2023: University of Sussex panel event: Well-being without growth? A new approach to combating global poverty

8 November 2023: Just Fair: Everyday human rights – the route to a better UK

31 October 2023: SDG Lab panel event: Rethinking our Economic Systems for Long term Sustainable Development

26 October 2023: ILO panel event: A Global Fund for Social Protection: Lessons from the global health, agriculture and climate funds

19 October 2023: Columbia Law School: Can We Eradicate Poverty without Growth? – Next Steps in the Global Anti-Poverty Agenda

17 October 2023: ATD event marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty at UN HQ

5 October 2023: Plenary Session of the 13th World Human Rights Cities Forum

European Trade Union Institute: Transformative pathways towards a new European eco-social model

29 September 2023: Territoires zéro chômeur de longue durée panel event: Building the right to employment in Europe together

27 September 2023: ILO and OHCHR panel event: Ensuring adequate minimum income, a matter of human rights

16 July 2023: LaSemo: Is a post-growth society possible?

6 July 2023: Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung side event :The promotion of economic, social and cultural rights in the era of multidimensional crisis

30 June 2023: Side event on the ‘job guarantee’ at the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council: The job guarantee as a tool in the fight against poverty

30 June 2023: Human Rights Council: Social protection: women’s participation and leadership

28 June 2023: ATD: Building an inclusive Europe: combating socio-economic discrimination

26 June 2023: Human Rights Watch side event: The right to education

23 June 2023: Asia Europe People's Forum panel event: Fighting the Triple Trap: Illegal Poverty, Inequality And Climate Emergency

22 June 2023: Federaal instituut voor Duurzame Ontwikkeling: Poverty and the just transition

21 June 2023: Economic Democracy Initiative panel event: The Need for a Universal Job Guarantee: the Launch of the UN Special Report by Olivier De Schutter

8 June 2023: ISSA: Making human rights a reality – Combatting non-take-up of benefits

16 May 2023: European Parliament Beyond Growth Conference 2023

15 April 2023 : 20 ans du Collectif Les Morts de la Rue

6 April 2023 : Labour7 Summit

27 February 2023 : Parlons sciences, Université Grenoble Alpes : Le scandale du non-recours aux droits avec Olivier de Schutter

25 February 2023: Virtual side event at the Africa Regional Forum on sustainable development

7 February 2023: ATD: Expert Dialogue on Dignified Work for all

7 February 2023: OHCHR panel event: Measurement and elimination of global poverty and inequalities

26 January 2023: Working Yet Poor conference

25 January 2023: Economic Democracy Initiative panel event: Assessing Global Progress in Advancing the Job Guarantee

13 January 2023: Università degli Studi di Trento: European Social Citizenship

Op-ed/thought pieces

The Guardian: Economic growth is not a magic wand for ending poverty (20 March 2023)

Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung: Fighting inequality: The untapped potential of human rights (15 May 2023)

Le Monde: Poor housing and poverty have no place in law (26 June 2023)

Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung: The employment guarantee as a tool in the fight against poverty (17 July 2023)

Context News (Thomson Reuters Foundation): Rosy unemployment rates mask a grim reality (20 July 2023)

Daily Maverick: ‘Job guarantee’ is the missing piece of Africa’s youth unemployment puzzle (13 August 2023)

Social Europe: Europe’s social-protection schemes are full of holes, affecting the most vulnerable most—but they can be fixed (11 September 2023)

Le Monde: We need to better compensate the work providing the greatest value for society (28 September 2023)

Transforming Society: Ending child poverty is vital for a sustainable future (16 October 2023)

Equal Times: Workers will remain trapped in poverty until governments respect trade union rights (17 October 2023)

International Politics & Society: What a ‘living wage’ really means in today’s cost-of-living crisis (17 October 2023)

Primicias: Letter to President-elect Daniel Noboa (18 October 2023)

OECD Development Matters: Social protection is key to ending poverty. So why is it so neglected in ODA? (24 October 2023)

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre: Reclaiming states’ economic sovereignty: the crux of the new treaty on business and human rights (24 October 2023)

Big Issue: UN rapporteur on extreme poverty: ‘UK policies continue to inflict misery’ (9 November 2023)

Interviews

UNRIC: Olivier De Schutter: “Europeans’ impoverishment most visible on food front” (4 October 2023)

France Inter: Why economic growth will not end poverty (18 September 2023)

RTBF: The urgent need to build a post-growth society, with Olivier De Schutter (15 September 2023)

El Universo: UN Special Rapporteur suggests three initial measures to finance fight against poverty in Ecuador (11 September 2023)

La Hora: Crime fuels poverty by extorting business and taking over schools, says UN Rapporteur (8 September 2023)

Associated Press: UN report on Ecuador links crime with poverty, faults government for not ending bonded labor (8 September 2023)

Reuters: Ecuador youth choosing gangs as route out of poverty, UN expert says (8 September 2023)

Le Soir: Olivier De Schutter: “Economic growth is exhausting people and the planet” (15 August 2023)

Thinkerview: Poverty riots? (29 June 2023)

FRANCE 24: Olivier de Schutter: “The ecological transition should be a lever for social justice” (21 June 2023)

ARTE: Olivier De Schutter wants to break with growth (20 June 2023)

Libération: In Bangladesh’s Rohingya camps, “the conditions for repatriation have clearly not been met” (16 June 2023)

Usbek & Rica: No, growth will never eradicate poverty (6 June 2023)

TV5Monde: Economy: Olivier de Schutter proposes a paradigm shift (31 May 2023)

BBC Bangla: Bangladesh’s progress in poverty alleviation ‘fragile’ – UN special envoy tells BBC (30 May 2023)

The Business Standard: The low-wage specialisation niche in Bangladesh is not a long-term solution: UN Special Rapporteur (30 May 2023)

South China Morning Post: Bangladesh inequality on the rise thanks to climate change, Covid, inflation: UN expert (30 May 2023)

The Guardian: Stateless Rohingya could soon be the ‘new Palestinians’, top UN official warns (30 May 2023)

Euronews: Beyond Growth: Why the focus should be on reducing inequality instead of GDP (8 May 2023)

Le Monde: “Anti-squatting Bill”: UN experts write to France to express their concerns (4 April 2023)

Exergie Podcast: Povertyism, the Enabling State, the Global South (13 March 2023)

Radio France Internationale – The gap between rich and poor: Stopping the spiral (16 January 2023)

2022

May 2022 Olivier De Schutter visited Kyrgyzstan from 23 May to 3 June 2022 to examine the Government’s efforts to eradicate poverty. All documents related to this visit can be found on the country visits webpage.

May 2022 Replies were received by Indonesia, Accor, Vinci Constructions and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to the Special Rapporteur’s communication of 8 March 2022.

11 May 2022 Press Release: Lebanon: UN expert warns of ‘failing State’ amid widespread poverty.

11 May 2022 Op-ed: A message to Lebanon’s next government: recover stolen wealth, build accountability.

8 March 2022 The Special Rapporteur sent a follow-up communication to Indonesia, various private companies (Accor, Club Med and Vinci Constructions) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank regarding the human rights violations and abuses allegedly committed in the implementation of the Mandalika urban development and tourism project.

23 February 2022 The Special Rapporteur sent a follow-up communication to Spain on the serious situation faced by the people living in the Cañada Real Galiana.

22 January 2022 The Special Rapporteur received a reply from the United Kingdom to his communication from 13 September 2022.

2021

November 2021 The Special Rapporteur visited Nepal from 29 November to 9 December 2021 to examine the Government’s efforts to alleviate poverty. All documents related to this visit can be found on the country visits webpage.

November 2021 The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, undertook a human rights fact-finding mission to Lebanon from 1 to 12 November 2021. All documents related to this visit can be found on the country visits webpage.

20 October 2021 Op-ed: To end poverty, invest in children.

20 October 2021 Olivier De Schutter presents his thematic report on the persistence of poverty to the General Assembly in New York. In an accompanying press release, he states: “Poverty and privilege continue to reproduce themselves in vicious cycles, driven by unacceptable levels of inequality. But with political will, we can break these cycles, and move from fate to opportunity.

15 October 2021 Op-ed: Inclusive education to break the cycles of poverty, jointly written by Olivier De Schutter and Donald Lee.

8 October 2021 The Special Rapporteur addresses to the plenary session of the World Human Rights Cities Forum, focusing on the importance of cities and local governments in the implementation of economic and social rights.

6 October 2021 Olivier De Schutter features in a new film about discrimination experienced by people in poverty, in which he participates in a round table engaging with people living in poverty who are involved in the ATD Fourth World movement, discussing discrimination and how it can be fought.

13 September 2021 A communication was sent to the United Kingdom on its plan to cut an uplift to Universal Credit by £20 per week at the end of September 2021

10 September 2021 The Special Rapporteur was interviewed by Global Citizen on global efforts to create a social protection floor, stating: “From cradle to grave, people should be guaranteed access to essential health care and basic income security. This is the basic idea behind social protection floors, a set of basic social security guarantees defined at national level, to make sure that everybody can reach what is considered as necessary in a particular society.”

July 2021 Op-Ed: Preparing the Economy to Face the Next Shock: the New Global Fund for Social Protection

July 2021 Launch of new animated video: 5 myths about social protection

1 July 2021 Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights held a press conference on July 1 at 11 am CET following up on the presentation of his report at the Human Right Council

30 June 2021 Presentation of the UN Special Rapporteur’s new thematic report: "Global fund for Social Protection: international solidarity in the service of poverty eradication" to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva

16 June 2021 Special Rapporteur published an artile on the 10th Anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Towards a social economy: The next generation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (business-humanrights.org)

June 2021 The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights launched a long-term video project to support the campaign for global social protection. It is meant to gather momentum and to support exchanges between civil society groups around the world.

May 2021 Publication of the Report on the Mandate’s activities (May 2020-May 2021)

20 May 2021 The UN Special Rapporteur participated at the 2021 HLPF Thematic Review Expert Group Meeting.

29 January 2021 Press Conference at the end of the SR's visit to the EU