Poverty
Franciscans International participates actively in UN efforts to eradicate poverty and, particularly, extreme poverty.
What is poverty?
"A sustained or chronic deprivation of the resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil cultural, economic, political and social rights." (Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: E/C.12/2001/10)
What is 'extreme poverty'?
The specificity of extreme poverty is an invisible, but very real, threshold, under which persons and communities are trapped, impeding them from exercising a whole set of rights: civil, cultural, economic, political and social.
Extreme poverty was defined from a human rights perspective at the Sub-Commission in 1996: a situation of poverty, in which the number, extent and duration of deprivations of resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, has led to a situation where it is extremely difficult, or even impossible, for persons and communities, to reassume their responsibilities and to regain the enjoyment of their rights, in a foreseeable future. (see Despouy's Report E/CN.4/Sub.2/1996/13)
The persistence of multiple insecurities over a long period, sometimes several generations, contributes to the decline from a situation of poverty into one of extreme poverty. Persons and communities are thus deprived of the possibility of assuming basic responsibilities necessary for the full enjoyment of their fundamental rights. This global and systemic condition affects one's human dignity and impacts on all rights. It undermines the possibility to regain rights and reassume responsibilities in the foreseeable future.
The inherent dignity of persons and their communities is therefore an essential criterion for addressing poverty, especially extreme poverty. The fight against extreme poverty is the reaffirmation of dignity, by enabling persons and communities to exercise their economic, political, social, civil and cultural rights, and to take charge of their own present and future.
That is why, extreme poverty, as a global and systemic condition affecting human dignity and impacting all the individual's rights, demands the adoption of a specific response. An international normative instrument might help to bring the necessary accountability for the full realization of all human rights in a context of extreme poverty
The Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action adopted in 1995 at the World Summit for Social Development was founded in human dignity, human rights, equality, respect, peace, democracy, mutual responsibility and cooperation - t he vision of Copenhagen placed people at the centre of planning for development. Franciscans International advocates that policy developed through participatory processes ensures that the even the most marginalised have a voice. Because poverty is a specific, local and contextual experience, poverty reduction strategies must be generated and actualized through participatory processes, at national and local levels.
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Social development must be realized by doing more than merely working to rectify the economic disparities in the world. The Copenhagen framework was based on the principle that every human being is entitled to participate in, contribute to and benefit from economic, social, cultural and political development.
The Summit set a precedent by no longer defining poverty as simply a lack of income and consumption, putting forth a more comprehensive definition of poverty which recognized lack of participation in society by people living in poverty, mainly due to social disintegration, exclusion and lack of education.
In the year 2000, 189 Heads of State signed onto the Millennium Declaration, setting a standard and committing themselves at the highest political level to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a framework for development.
Franciscans International is advocating for the creation of policies that link human rights, security and development through the following actions:
- Empowering all people to maximize their capacities and resources in a sustainable manner;
- Protecting the integrity and sustainable use of our environment;
- Promoting peaceful democracies and transparent accountable governance;
- Promoting democracy, human dignity, social justice and solidarity at the national, regional and international levels;
- Creating partnerships with and maintenance of social responsibility of the private sector;
- Endorsing tolerance, non-violence, pluralism and non-discrimination, with full respect for diversity within and among societies; and
- Integrating economic, cultural and social policies so that they become mutually supportive.
Special Project
Please fill out our questionnaire. Your responses will help in understanding main concerns in this area, and to better design our new Poverty Programme.
Franciscans working on poverty
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In 2005 , the Third Social Forum of the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights was dedicated to "Poverty and Economic Growth: Challenges to Human Rights."
Sister Valsa Joseph Palathingal, a Franciscan Missionary of Mary from India, has dedicated her life to the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe, commonly known as Dalits, in the State of Tamil-Nadu. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights invited Sr Valsa to be one of the panelists in the session dedicated to The Perspectives of Those Living in Poverty: Voices from Around the World. Sr Valsa presented on Poverty in Economically Growing India and gave testimony of her work among Dalits and Tribals.
Resources
How can I help?
- Contribute examples of best practices for FI's poverty eradication program
- Conduct research and provide grassroots input to prepare for upcoming commissions
- Team up with FI to put on a workshop, roundtable, etc
- Partner with UN agencies on poverty reduction projects
- Advocate at the national level for poverty eradication programs
- Celebrate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17 by listening to the stories of people who live in poverty.
- Join the Millennium Campaign and educate yourself about the issues.
- Locate a sister congregation in a least developed country (LDC) and support a microfinance project, a well, livestock, etc.
- Invite speakers to your prayer group, classroom, church, community centre, etc.
- Find local development projects in your area to support: tutoring centres, healthcare centres, housing development, etc.
- Mobilize communities and advocate that governments:
- help establish MDGs at the core of national poverty reduction plans;
- integrate MDG financing in national budgets;
- provide technical support to governments;
- increase public investment in long term MDG plans;
- plan across all sectors and integrate human rights;
- Write your local papers about the Millennium Development Goals and projects that your community has undertaken to complete them.
- Check out the MDGs Youth Action Guide
FI PUBLICATIONS
FYI toolkit on MDGs
Compilation of the Best Practices
Apr. 15, 2003 - To invigorate progress toward reaching the UN Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people who live in poverty by 2015, Franciscans International played a leading role in creating a "Best Practices in Poverty Eradication" project of the NGO Sub-Committee on the Eradication of Poverty in New York.
Click here to read our news article about Best Practices in Poverty Eradication .
The project led to the publication of a compilation of successful programs and projects to eradicate poverty. Click here to download the document Best Practices in Poverty Eradication
 FI
Statements on Poverty at the United Nations:
Franciscans International, as an NGO with General Consultative
Status with the Economic and Social Council, delivers
official written and oral interventions before United
Nations forums in New York and Geneva, Switzerland. Listed
below are Franciscans International statements on Extreme
Poverty:
2007
"Human Rights and Extreme Poverty ." An oral statement presented at the
Human Rights Council 5th Session. (2007-06-01)
2005
"Summary Report." A written statement presented at the
Commission on Human Rights (61st Session) 2005. (2005-04-22)
"On Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements." An oral statement presented at the
13th Session of the Commission for Sustainable Development, On Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements.. (2005-04-12)
"Point 10: Droits Economiques Sociaux et Culturels - Extrême Pauvreté et Madagascar (communication orale)." An oral statement presented at the
Commission on Human Rights (61st Session) 2005. (2005-03-27)
"Agenda Item 7: The Right to Development
(oral statement)." An oral statement presented at the
same meeting. (2005-03-22)
"Franciscans International's Position Paper on the 61st Session of the Comission on Human Rights. ." A written statement presented at the
same meeting. (2005-02-19)
"Agenda Item 3(a): Poverty
(written statement)." A written statement presented at the
Commission for Social Development (43rd Session) 2005. (2005-02-09)
2004
"Impact of Toxic Waste in Vieques, Puerto Rico and in the Philippines (oral statement)." An oral statement presented at the
United Nations,
Commission on Human Rights,
60th Session, UN Geneva,
15 March – 23 April 2004, . (2004-04-06)
"Indigenous Communities Living in Extreme Poverty in Honduras (oral statement)." An oral statement presented at the
same meeting. (2004-04-05)
"Vision for Public Sector Effectiveness." A written statement presented at the
42nd Commission for Social Development. (2004-02-17)
2003
"Item 4: Economic, social, and cultural rights - EXTREME POVERTY/UN norms on TRANSNATIONAL BUSINESSES." An oral statement presented at the
UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion
and Protection of Human Rights. (2003-08-28)
"Item 4: Economic, social, and cultural rights - EXTREME POVERTY ." A written statement presented at the
same meeting. (2003-08-10)
"High Level Segment
30 June- 2 July 2003
“Promoting an integrated approach to rural development in developing countries
for poverty eradication and sustainable development”." A written statement presented at the
The Economic and Social Council. (2003-07-21)
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FI News on Poverty:
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