Overcoming Extreme Poverty

Every year, on the 17th of October, people around the world gather together to mark the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and the World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty. This post on Storify was contributed by Donald Lee, President of the Committee for October 17 @icoct17.

The Spirit of October 17

The 17th of October is a special day for people around the world because it recognizes that people living in poverty are the ones leading the fight against extreme poverty and the commemorations organized on this day provide an important opportunity to publicly acknowledge the ongoing efforts and daily struggle of people living in poverty.

At these gatherings, people living in poverty and people from all walks of life, meet in equal dignity and mutual respect. It is an occasion when people living in poverty have the rare opportunity to make their voices, visions, hope and concerns heard through their personal testimonies. It is an occasion when, together with people living in poverty, ordinary citizens and institutions, public and private, publicly express their rejection of extreme poverty.

The Day is not meant to be used as an opportunity to promote elected officials, political parties, public or private organizations, personalities, policies, programmes, initiatives and public or personal causes. It is not a day for charity when people living in poverty display their situation of distress in front of others. Nor, are the gatherings on the Day meant to be a forum for associations or organizations, without the equal participation of the poorest.

Thematic Discussion

Each year, a theme is selected in consultation with activists, civil society and non-governmental organizations to highlight key challenges in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty. Organizers of commemorations are encouraged to use the theme to promote discussion by all people at their gatherings.
This year, the theme is: “Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: Ending poverty in all its forms.”

This year, the theme is: "Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: Ending poverty in all its forms."

Concept Note

To provide some guidance to organizers of commemorative events about the key elements of the theme, the International Committee for October 17 has issued a Concept Note, in French and English, which can be downloaded using the following links:

International Charter for October 17

The International Charter was created to ensure that the original message, meaning, purpose and intent of October 17 are respected and preserved by all who organize or attend commemorations around the world.

The International Charter emphasizes that gatherings on October 17 should promote peace and human dignity in the spirit of the declaration engraved on the commemorative stone in honour of the victims of extreme poverty on Trocadero Plaza in Paris, France, which reads:

On October 17, 1987, defenders of human rights and citizens of all countries gathered together on this square. They paid tribute to the victims of hunger, ignorance and violence. They expressed their conviction that extreme poverty is not inevitable. They proclaimed their solidarity with those struggling around the world to destroy it.

"Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty." (Father Joseph Wresinski)

The Day should represent a time of dialogue and reflection for all who come together, as well as a learning experience for those who are unaware of the situation of people living in poverty.

The Origin of the Day

The observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty can be traced back to 17 October 1987. On that day, over a hundred thousand people gathered at the Trocadéro Plaza in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948, to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger.

They proclaimed that poverty is a violation of human rights and affirmed the need to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. These convictions are inscribed in a commemorative stone unveiled on that day. Since then, people of all backgrounds, beliefs and social origins have gathered every year on October 17th to renew their commitment and show their solidarity with people living in poverty.

Replicas of the commemorative stone have been unveiled around the world and serve as a gathering place to celebrate the Day. One such replica is located in the garden of United Nations Headquarters and is the site of the annual commemoration organized by the United Nations Secretariat in New York.

United Nations Recognizes October 17

Through resolution 47/196 adopted on 22 December 1992, the General Assembly declared 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and invited all States to devote the Day to presenting and promoting, as appropriate in the national context, concrete activities with regard to the eradication of poverty and destitution. The resolution further invites intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to assist States, at their request, in organizing national activities for the observance of the Day, and requests the Secretary-General to take, within existing resources, the measures necessary to ensure the success of the Day’s observance by the United Nations.

October 17 Events

Numerous events to mark October 17 are being organized around the world. You can see a list of events at the following website: OvercomingPoverty.org

At the United Nations Headquarters in New York, a major event will be held on Monday, 17th October, 2016 from 1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Conference Room 2. The commemoration will include the message of the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, testimonies from people living in poverty, statements by Ambassadors and a musical performance by Sparsh Shah who is a singer, song writer and rapper.

The annual event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York is sponsored by the Missions of Burkina Faso and France to the United Nations and is jointly organized by the United Nations, the International Movement ATD Fourth World, the NGO Committee for Social Development & the International Committee for October 17.

Learn more about the International Committee for the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty at overcomingpoverty.org

Learn more about our work on poverty eradication at social.un.org/poverty