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| International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 17 October 2008: "Human Rights and Dignity of People Living in Poverty" |
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| To mark International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October 2008, UNESCO supported the initiative of the collective "L’Arche et la Dalle"*. A large gathering took place in the business district of La Défense, near Paris. The International Day was organized under the banner of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year's main theme was "Human Rights and Dignity of People Living in Poverty". |
 On 17 October 2008, a large gathering marked the end of the activities organized by "L’Arche et la Dalle", in close cooperation with UNESCO.
According to the World Bank, 1.4 billion people in developing countries were living in extreme poverty (on less than US$1.25 per day) in 2005. In these same countries, the following year, more than 140 million children were underweight. The current economic difficulties are likely to aggravate the situation.
In a message for the International Day, Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, states “Fighting against poverty…entails proposing new ways of disseminating and sharing knowledge; it also means fostering dialogue between the various systems of knowledge and cultures, and creating new opportunities for development. Effectively mobilizing the international community is both a necessity and a matter of urgency…. UNESCO, alongside the entire United Nations system, and its partners, is fully mobilized to respond to these challenges.”
Extracts from this message were read during the gathering. As of 17 October, it also appeared on a large screen during three days in La Défense.
Programme - 17 October 2008
9.30 a.m.
Screening of the movie "Versailles": free entrance.
11.40 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
Various activities will take place. Download the programme [PDF, in French].
1.00 p.m.- Closure of the conference cycle, held from 13 to 17 October, by Christine Boutin, Minister of France in charge of the struggle against precariousness and exclusion.
Gathering- Testimonies of persons whose rights are violated, and commitments of companies and authorities, near the site of a forthcoming slab, based on similar models to the ones in Trocadéro and the United Nations, which will bear the message of Father Joseph Wresinski.
Highlights, punctuated by gospel songs
1.30 - 3.00 p.m.- Reading of verses of Father Joseph Wresinski, at the origin of the creation of a World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty on 17 October.
- Reading extracts of the message of the Director-General of UNESCO by Chifa Tekaya and call for performance during the second Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017).
- Video message of the Director-General of UNESCO on a large screen.
- Testimonies concerning the law related to the struggle against exclusion (1998).
- At noon and during the afternoon, in the Village de la Solidarité of the Parvis de la Défense: activities proposed by NGOs to encourage people confronted with precarious living conditions to take the floor and change the opinions of visitors.
- Call for companies to become a member of the United Nations Global Compact.
UNESCO and the collective L’Arche et la Dalle also co-organised a conference debate on the topic “A second decade to eradicate poverty: why?” on 15 October 2008.
A film about "Six years of implementation of UNESCO projects for the elimination of poverty" was shown on the same day in the amphitheatre of the Toit de l’Arche de la Défense.
A photo exhibition La pauvreté saisie par l’image tracks the progress of UNESCO pilot projects over a period of six years and promotes an interdisciplinary approach by tackling poverty through a series of themes – the right to education, to health care, to a healthy environment, etc. The exhibition is divided between the Toit de l’Arche (12 posters) and the Point Info Défense, managed by the Etablissement public d’aménagement de La Défense (5 posters).
Contact: Chifa Tekaya, c.tekaya@unesco.org.
* The collective L’Arche et la Dalle comprises ATD Quart Monde, Amnesty International, the Secours Catholique, Notre-Dame de Pentecôte et the Maison de l’amitié.
Photo: 2/3 of the children deprived of primary education are girls (Source: UNICEF) © UNESCO
Related Links
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| Author(s) |
UNESCO |
| Publication Date |
16-10-2008 |
| Source |
UNESCO |
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| File/document |
gospel_songs.pdf |
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