On Saturday 17 October 2015, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was honoured worldwide, highlighting the significant of the recent formal adoption of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) last month.
Through the adoption of 'Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development', all countries involved recommitted themselves to end poverty in all its dimensions and in all its forms, replacing and enhancing the previous Millenium Development Goals.
"This year's observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty falls as the world embarks on a bold new path towards a future of dignity for all guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," commented United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Luxembourg for its part holds the principle of poverty eradication as enshrined in law, and it features as a central priority in the context of the Luxembourg Presidency of the European Union, the European Year for Development, and the daily updates on the worsening refugee crisis.
This last point is particularly noted by the adoption of the Agenda 2030, which partially encompasses migration issues. The Valletta Summit on 11 and 12 November 2015 will allow European States and African partners to create close links between a policy of targeted development cooperation and leverages which exist or might exist in future polciies, with a view to redesigning the link between migration policy and development policy.
As 8 out of 10 migrants in the world are in developing countries, it becomes essential to conitnue discussions on how to achieve better interaction between migration and development policies.
The UN has stated that 1 billion people have been lifted from extreme poverty due to commitments made by States towards achieving the Millenium Development Goals. Yet the 836 million people remaining in poverty or extreme poverty necessitates a continous and persistent commitment of each party involved towards new Development Goals.
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been obeserved annually since 1993, when resolution of 47/196 of the General Assembly designated the day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries. The fight against poverty remains at the heart of the Millenium Development Goals and post-2015 development programme.
Photo by United Nations
