Letter 107
In 2022 we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, recognised by the United Nations in 1992. This day is an opportunity to strengthen the voice of those in extreme poverty, their experiences, their aspirations, their struggles and the alliances needed to eradicate poverty and build peace. A peace that starts with the absence of war but it’s fully built until the dignity of everyone is recognized. Meaningful peace efforts wherever there are or have been armed conflicts, and there is or has been inhumanity because of poverty.
Ten years ago, in 2012 after several years of participatory research, people experiencing poverty along with those working alongside them, professionals and academics, took part in an international colloquium at UNESCO entitled “Extreme Poverty Is Violence – Breaking the Silence – Searching for Peace” Together all stated that poverty is violence, and that to act with those who suffer from it by seeking equal dignity is to build peace. During the last International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we stated that our societies treat nature like those in extreme poverty. And that today, it is necessary to take into account everything that links social, economic and environmental justice to change the world so that we will overcome extreme poverty.
We are building know-how and a conviction through these shared experiences of activism. Experiences that bring us together to unite our strength so that we leave no one behind. Because leaving no one behind means building a real future for generations to come. The theme for October 17, 2022 and 2023 crystallises this dynamic. That started 35 years ago when in 1987, Joseph Wresinski asked us to unite in order to build a world without poverty.
A WORD FROM THE TEAM
In 2022 we will celebrate a double anniversary. That of the first celebration of the World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty on October 17, 1987 at the Trocadero in Paris. Along with the UN’s recognition of October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The theme for October 17 this year is: Dignity for all in practice: the commitments we make together for social justice, peace and the planet. For 2023 we will have the same theme. A theme strengthened by what we will learn this year.
Many people and organisations working at the grass-roots from around the world gave us feedback during the 2022 consultation on what has been accomplished through October 17. On page 4 of this Letter to Friends Around the World, we highlight some of this feedback. The two inside pages of this letter have four real-life stories of people involved in the struggle to overcome extreme poverty in the world.
This Letter to Friends Around the World 107 has real-life stories of commitment rooted in the life of people who resist poverty and exclusion daily. For example,...
Letter 106 Our dialogue with 40 readers of the Letter to Friends Around the World about the Hidden Dimensions of Poverty Research has been most encouraging in this...
