International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

17 October 2006

Message by Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Almost twenty years ago, 100,000 human rights defenders from all over the world gathered on this day at the Liberties and Human Rights Plaza in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948, to express their solidarity in the fight against extreme poverty and their commitment to ensure that everyone’s dignity and freedom are respected. Today, poverty prevails as the gravest human rights challenge in the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa, poor mothers are 100 times more likely than in rich countries to die while giving birth. And about one in five African children does not live to celebrate their fifth birthday. The gap between rich and poor countries, and the global inequities it points to, poses a serious challenge to our commitment to the universality of human rights.

Poverty is often a cause, as well as a consequence, of human rights violations. A marked characteristic of virtually all communities living in extreme poverty is that they do not have access, on equal terms, to the institutions and services of Government that give effect to human rights. This inequality of access, in particular to justice, is often linked to discrimination on other grounds. Although commonly seen as an issue of economic and social rights, the experience of the poor is as likely to be marked by repression of civil and political rights as by economic deprivation. Indeed the two are linked.

Combating poverty, deprivation and exclusion is not a matter of charity, and it does not depend on how rich a country is. States have the primary responsibility to protect human rights but other States and non-State actors also have a responsibility to act in accordance with international human rights norms and standards in the fight against poverty. Naturally, these norms and standards are not of themselves a blueprint for economic and social policies. But they do establish minimum baselines and help to ensure that policy-making processes integrate certain fundamental procedural guarantees, including participation, non-discrimination and redress. A human rights-based approach to poverty eradication requires that the poor be recognized as rights-holders and be empowered to assert their own claims against those with duties to respond. Strengthened partnerships are required between rich and poor countries to create an environment for speedier and sustained poverty reduction, in line with human rights demands.

This recognition of poverty as a human rights challenge requires that our efforts to fight against poverty be firmly based on a human rights approach. One reason why poverty continues to be pervasive in many parts of the world is because those responsible are not being held accountable for their inaction or their misguided policies. Poverty eradication is an achievable goal. By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights obligation, the world will have a better chance of abolishing this scourge in our lifetime.