17 October: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed at the United Nations since 1993, after the General Assembly (resolution 47/196) declared 17 October as the day aimed to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries.

Extreme poverty affects about 1.2 billion people -- that is, those who survive on less than a dollar a day. At the same time, nearly 840 million people worldwide do not have enough to eat. Some 300 million people live in absolute poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and millions of children continue to die unnecessarily each year for lack of health care, clean water, decent housing or adequate nutrition.

The Millennium Development Goals, adopted in 2000 by United Nations Member States, set out to halve these figures by 2015. To reach this goal, action is required by both developed and developing countries alike.

In December 1995, the General Assembly proclaimed the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006). In December 1996, the General Assembly declared the theme for the Decade as a whole to be "Eradicating poverty is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind."

For information on:

• The First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty please click here.
• The activities to be carried out during the International Day for the eradication of Poverty in 2004 please click here.