Eradication of Poverty 2017: Leaving No One Behind | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)

“Leaving no one behind means listening to the views and guidance of people living in poverty and acting with them.”

That was the message from the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres commemorating the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

This year’s theme for the Day, “Answering the Call of October 17 to end poverty: A path toward peaceful and inclusive societies,” is intended to remind us of the pledge to build peaceful, just and inclusive societies to ensure lives of dignity and equality for all human beings.

Observing that rising inequalities and persistent poverty remain critical challenges around the world, UN leaders and advocates for eradicating poverty called for the redoubling of efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and end extreme poverty.

Mr. Achim Steiner, UN Development Programme Administrator, encouraged efforts to overcome lack of education and eliminate hunger and malnutrition as well as other manifestations of poverty, stressing that poverty is not inevitable but rather something we all strive to eradicate.

People living in poverty and activists standing in solidarity shared personal stories and urged governments, the development community, and the human rights community to implement a new approach that recognizes the knowledge and courage of families living in poverty throughout the world. They noted that reaching out to those in poverty and collaborating with citizens from all backgrounds is essential to eradicating poverty in its entirety.

Despite remarkable progress over the past two decades, more than 800 million people around the world continue to live in extreme poverty. Eliminating poverty and alleviating the suffering and building the resilience of those living in poverty remains at the core of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations decision, in its resolution 47/196 of 22 December 1992, to recognize October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

For more information about IDEP 2017, please click here.

Source: UNSDN