Today is marked as the International Day for the Eradication of poverty. This year is the 25th
anniversary of the General Assembly’s declaration for the monumentalize. The General
Assembly invited all states to devote the day to presenting and promoting, as appropriate in the
national context, concrete activities with regard to the Eradication of poverty.
The observance of this day can be traced back to October 1987. On that day, over a hundred
thousand people gathered at the Tracadéro in Paris, to honor the victims of extreme poverty,
violence, and hunger. people proclaimed that poverty is a violation of human rights and there’s a
need to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. These convictions are
inscribed in a commemorative stone unveiled on this day. Since then, people of all
backgrounds, beliefs and social origins have gathered every year on October 17th to renew
their solidarity with the poor.
October 17 presents an opportunity to acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in
poverty. It gives a chance to recognize that poor people are the first ones to fight against
poverty. The commemoration of the day also reflects the willingness of people living in poverty
to use their expertise to contribute to the Eradication of poverty.
