 | This lady relies on an African Union-United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID) contingent from Rwanda for water distribution. The closest water source is 1.5 hours away. (source: UN Photo/Olivier Chassot) |
17 October 2012 -- 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. The UN General Assembly declared 17 October as the International day for the Eradication of Poverty and invited all states to devote the International Day to presenting and promoting, as appropriate in the national context, concrete activities with regard to the eradication of poverty and destitution.
Over the last decade, millions have overcome extreme poverty and attained better access to health care and education. Extreme poverty rates have decreased in every region of the world. Over 39 million more children attend primary school. Access to clean water has increased to 89 per cent. Despite these important gains, several critical gaps remain, thus the 2012 commemoration will focus on the theme "Ending the Violence of Extreme Poverty: Promoting Empowerment and Building Peace" with hope that it will launch a continuing dialogue among people everywhere about this issue.
Source: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
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
Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017)
United Nations Cyberschoolbus Poverty Curriculum
Millennium Development Goals
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