International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October 2007)

Poverty is a human rights violation. Every child, youth, man and women has the human right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being, to food, clothing, housing, medical care and social services. These fundamental human rights are defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights treaties and declarations that governments have obliged themselves to adhere to.

Selected learning materials

"Poverty" in Critical Choices for Hungary: Issue Materials for Social Science Curricula (Joint Eastern Europe Center for Democratic Education and Governance)
Critical Choices is not a textbook, but a resource for public discussion and debate on policy issues. These materials, and the discussions that are engendered, are intended to foster public discourse and citizen involvement.

The Right to Development (by Richard Pierre Claude)
Participatory exercise for in a workshop or in the classroom.

Nutrition Rights: The Human Right to Adequate Food and Nutrition
The purpose of this tutorial is to help its users understand the meaning of economic, social and cultural rights through study of one aspect of these rights, the human right to food and nutrition. The tutorial can be used both for self-directed learning or in a training or classroom.

Study Guide on the Right to Food & Water
An introduction to the right to food and water, including key definitions, international standards and references to other advocacy, education and training materials.

Study Guide on Sustainable Development
An introduction to sustainable development - development that ensures every person a life of dignity. This guide including key definitions, international standards and references to other advocacy, education and training materials.

International and regional instruments that aim at the eradication of poverty:
- Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition (1974)
- Declaration on the Right to Development (1986)
- African Charter on the Human and Peoples' Rights (1981)
- European Social Charter (1961)
- Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the area of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (Protocol of San Salvador) (1988)

Useful links

United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty site

A Human Rights Approach to Poverty Reduction Strategies

First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006)

United Nations Cyberschoolbus Poverty Curriculum

Other International Days