International Day for Eradication of Poverty 2021: Theme, History, Significance

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed every year on 17 October to raise awareness about the struggles of people living in poverty.

According to the World Bank, between 88 and 115 million people are being pushed into poverty as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, with the majority of the new extreme poor being found in South Asian and Sub-Saharan countries where poverty rates are already high.

The official website of the United Nations (UN) states that the people living in poverty experience many interrelated and mutually reinforcing deprivations that prevent them from realizing their rights and perpetuate their poverty, including dangerous work conditions, unsafe housing, lack of nutritious food, unequal access to justice, lack of political power, and limited access to health care.

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International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2021: Theme

The theme for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2021 is “Building Forward Together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and our Planet”. It highlights the importance of transforming our relationship with nature, dismantling structures of discrimination that disadvantage people in poverty and building on the moral and legal framework of human rights that places human dignity at the heart of policy and action.

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International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: History

According to the UN's website, on 17 October 1987, a hundred thousand people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger. This is the same place where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948. These people proclaimed that that poverty is a violation of human rights and affirmed the need to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. Since then, people from around the world come together every year on 17 October to show their solidarity with the poor.

Moreover, on 22 December 1992, the General Assembly declared 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: Significance

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty plays a significant role in spreading awareness about the the struggles of people living in poverty.

As per the UN's website, 17 October is an opportunity to acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty, a chance for them to make their concerns heard, and a moment to recognize that poor people are the first ones to fight against poverty.

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