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International Committee for October 17th

Message released for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, October 17, 2009
The International Committee for October 17th invites you to acquaint or reacquaint yourself with the call to action for a world without extreme poverty, set in motion on October 17, 1987. This appeal, engraved in stone on the Plaza of Human Rights and Liberties in Paris (France), is at the heart of the observance of the International Day and the year-round commitments that it gives rise to:
“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.” Fr. Joseph Wresinski
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, also known and celebrated as the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty, “represents an opportunity to acknowledge the efforts and struggles of people living in poverty, a chance for them to make their concerns heard and a moment to recognize that poor people are in the forefront in the fight against poverty. The participation of the poor themselves has been at the centre of the International Day celebrations since its very beginning.” (excerpt from the Report of the Secretary General of the United Nations, A/61/308 )
Our world is mobilizing efforts to emerge from its current crises. The governments of the 20 wealthiest countries are trying to develop a new framework for financial exchanges. Businesses are becoming aware of their social responsibility. The Copenhagen Summit on climate change aims to make decisions that will roll back global warming.
The individuals and families who live in social exclusion and extreme poverty are too rarely included in thinking about these issues. However, they are the ones who pay the highest price for these crises. They already struggle day after day for their own and their children’s survival. Meanwhile the crises further increase their difficulties: projects have been interrupted, seriously compromising their health, education, and future; prices are rising; the climate imbalance is destroying their fragile homes.
The efforts that these individuals and families make to have their dignity respected are not taken into account; they are disregarded. Our societies thereby deny themselves of these people’s thinking and knowledge, which would contribute to building a world that is more respectful of human rights. Indeed, it is a matter of justice and dignity, not assistance and generosity.
Each October 17th observance around the world must therefore create an original space where people from different backgrounds can gather together in respect for their diversity, join efforts, learn from one another and build peace.
The International Committee for October 17th invites you, wherever you may be, to join this worldwide social movement to overcome extreme poverty, and build a world of peace together, one without extreme poverty.
Mr. Cassam Uteem – President of the International Committee for October 17th
The site www.oct17.org relates the various events organized for October 17th, as well as the year-long commitments against extreme poverty and for peace.

Message 2009 from the International Committee for October 17th

Who are the members of the International Committee for October 17?

Message from the Director General of the International Movement ATD Fourth World for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

17 October 2009

"Our lands will soon lie totally beneath the water," cry the people in Asia who have never had a choice but to live where they are at the greatest risk from the raging floods.

Here, typhoons and earthquakes obliterate homes leaving millions of children and adults at the mercy of the elements. And when the waters ebb, after villages are buried underneath the mud, the media looks elsewhere, leaving the mourners voiceless, leaving the mourning to ferment into violence, violence born of overflowing sorrow and injustice.

"Why is it always our homes that get destroyed?" while others keep the safer areas for themselves? "When I’m older, I’m going to smash up their homes." And the mothers plead: "Let our children’s hearts and minds be filled something other than anger." In these times shaken by so many crises— ecological, for access to food and to energy, economic, financial, social— can we hear these children and their parents?

In these times when the arrogance of some banishes others and dismisses their basic rights, via sweeping laws and tightly protected borders, we want, together with everyone else who defends the inalienable dignity of each and every person, to forge a new future, one that can be shared by generations, communities and nations, a future where respect among people and respect for the Earth will finally be sustainable and harmonious.

On this 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is children who are showing us the way towards a world where trust can truly abide. We see children perform innumerable acts of kindness, compassion and tolerance, children who join with the youths and adults around them in seeking new ways to create and express solidarity. This solidarity is about far more than fending off the ocean so that some gain a few more acres of security; it is about making sure there is room for everyone on the higher ground, it is about trying different ways of living together so that no one is left out.

Obscuring the atrocies endured by adults through amnesia or an imposed silence will not liberate children from anger they feel, nor fulfill the promise of a future that belongs to them. The pride of inheriting from their elders the courage to cope when faced with humiliation and a lack of everything, this is the pride that is growing on the higher ground that every child deserves.

In the field of all generations let us work together to grow these new ways of living together where restored memory and honor can save family and community ties from fracturing.

Let us work together to tend these these new ways of living together that can protect from the gangrene of guilt and loneliness.

On this new higher ground for the future of all children, let us work together to to tend the fields where all people can recognize themselves as full-fledged members of a humanity free of the fear of putting an end to injustice.

The Secretary-General — MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY 17 October 2009 Today we recognize the daily struggles and contributions of those living in poverty and resolve to intensify efforts to eliminate the scourge once and for all.

At a time of multiple global crises, the poorest and most vulnerable have a special claim on our attention. We know that, in any recession, those hurt first—and worst—are the poor. According to recent estimates, the global economic crisis has claimed at least 50 million jobs this year. As many as 100 million more people are expected to fall below the poverty line in 2009. Climate change further compounds the problem.

The theme of this year’s observance, “Children and Families Speak Out Against Poverty”, coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We recognize that investing in children and securing their rights is one of the surest ways to ending poverty.

Despite our world of plenty, children’s basic needs are still being sidelined. Millions of children continue to be deprived of an education, with many more at risk of dropping out of school. This is particularly true for girl children.

Yet we also know that common sense investments to meet the Millennium Development Goals can make a profound difference. In areas where global investments have been scaled up – such as AIDS, TB, malaria and vaccine-preventable diseases – we are seeing heartening progress. There has also been notable success in reducing under-five mortality. These gains suggest how we can accelerate progress toward those MDG targets where the world is still far behind – by investing in key areas such as primary education, basic infrastructure and maternal health.

The United Nations system is responding to the crisis on a number of fronts — promoting food security, building a greener economy, ensuring stronger safety nets and putting forward a Global Jobs Pact. We are also developing a Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System—GIVAS—to create a networked capacity for real-time data collection and analysis. Policies must be driven by a solid picture of developments on the ground.

We are at a critical juncture in the fight against poverty. Now is the time to amplify the voices of the vulnerable and ensure that the world follows up on its pledges. With the right investments and concrete action, we can build upon the gains, fulfill our commitments, and ensure that every man, woman and child has the opportunity to make the most of their potential.