Overcoming Extreme Poverty

The Letter to Friends Around the World is not simply a collection of testimonies. It is received as an encounter with voices that too often go unheard. Yet these voices carry within them a remarkable strength, capable of transforming the way we see the world and the commitments we choose to make.

Every year, October 17 marks an international mobilisation to give a voice to those who struggle every day against poverty. The theme chosen for this day does not result from a decision made by a small group: it emerges from the words of hundreds of people, including people experiencing poverty, from all around the world.

A consultation was launched in February, inviting people who face poverty and exclusion every day, as well as those standing in solidarity with them. As a result of this consultation, a main theme and sub-theme have been chosen for 2026.
Below, you will find the international poster, now available for download. This sets us on the path toward October 17, 2026.

The Concept Note from the International Committee for October 17 is ready!

Elle est issue de la consultation menée en février auprès du réseau d’individus, de groupes, d’associations et d’organisations réunis au sein du Forum du refus de la misère.

As billionaires’ wealth soars, inequality reaches alarming levels — large parts of humanity suffer hunger and misery — the International Committee for October 17 sounds the alarm.

VILLARCEAUX, FRANCE – 6th June 2026 — In a world where a tiny handful of individuals own more wealth than the most deprived half of humanity combined, an international coalition of human rights defenders has issued a thundering declaration from the heart of France: enough is enough.

Following the exchange of ideas launched during the February 2025 consultation on the main theme for 2026 and 2027, we now invite you to share your views on the theme for October 17, 2026. This will include both a main theme, intended to run for three years (until 2028), and a sub-theme for this year.

I am the coordinator and founding member of the NGO, MEABF Mutuelle de Micro-Entrepreneurs pour l’Amour du Bien-Être Familial (Mutual Organisation of Micro-Entrepreneurs for Family Well-Being), based in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In this Letter to Friends around the World, we are pleased to share more true stories from people making a difference. They allow us once again to marvel at what each of us, starting from our own reality and sensitivity, can do to build a world free of extreme poverty.