ICT for Poverty Reduction..

About Poverty Day

The General Assembly
A/RES/47/196 / 93rd plenary meeting /  22 December 1992

Observance of an international day for the eradication of poverty

Noting that the eradication of poverty and destitution in all countries, in particular in developing countries, has become one of the priorities of development for the 1990s, and considering that the promotion of the eradication of poverty and destitution requires public awareness,

Welcoming the fact that certain non-governmental organizations, on the initiative of one non-governmental organization, have in many states in recent years observed 17 October as World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty,
 
1.  Decides to declare 17 October as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, to be observed beginning in 1993;

2.  Notes that activities undertaken with respect to the Day will take into account those undertaken each 17 October by certain non-governmental organizations;
 
3.  Invites all States to devote the Day to presenting and promoting, as appropriate in the national context, concrete activities on the eradication of poverty and destitution;
 
4.  Also invites the Secretary-General to make recommendations on ways and means by which the United Nations Secretariat could, within existing resources and without prejudice to ongoing activities, assist States in organizing their national activities for the observance of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty;
 
5.  Further invites intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to assist States, at their request, in organizing national activities for the observance of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, paying due attention to the specific problems of the destitute;
 
6.  Requests the Secretary-General to take the measures necessary, within existing resources, to ensure the success of the observance by the United Nations of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty;
 
7.  Also requests the Secretary-General to inform the General Assembly at its fiftieth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

Background

Extreme poverty is a grim reality, affecting some 23 per cent of the world population.  While extreme income poverty –- defined by a dollar-per-day threshold -- has been declining in East Asia and the Pacific, scant progress has been made in all other regions.  Some 300 million people live in absolute poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, where malnutrition rose by 27 million during the 1990s.  Millions of children continue to die unnecessarily each year for lack of health care, clean water, decent housing or adequate nutrition.  At the Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders committed themselves to cutting by half by 2015 the number of people living in extreme poverty –- currently some 1.2 billion people.

Poverty is not just an issue for developing countries.  The poorest people in rich countries still suffer severe deprivation, according to the UNDP Human Development Report 2002.  Most industrial countries have seen rising income inequalities in recent years, as well as growing poverty rates, functional literacy and long-term unemployment.  However, there is hope.  As UNDP’s Equator Initiative has found, local communities are finding innovative solutions to reducing poverty.

The Equator Initiative-- a partnership involving UNDP and several other partners -- is a global movement committed to identifying innovative community partnerships that reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.  It focuses on the area +/- 23.5 degrees from the Equator -- the area with the world’s greatest concentration of poverty and biodiversity wealth.  The winners of the Equator Prize 2002 were chosen from more than 420 communities in 77 countries.

The first observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was in 1987, spearheaded by ATD Fourth World.  This international non-governmental organization is dedicated to overcoming extreme poverty by exploring partnership with families living in chronic poverty, and by encouraging private citizens and public officials to join this effort.

The International Day has been observed at the United Nations since 1993, after the General Assembly (resolution 47/196) declared 17 October as the day aimed to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries.

For more information, please visit the United Nations Web site at www.un.org/events/poverty; the Equator Initiative web site at www.EquatorInitiative.org; the Web sites of ATD Fourth World at www.atd-fourthworld.org and www.oct17.org; or contact Edoardo Bellando at the Department of Public Information, (212) 963-8275, [email protected].

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