International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

17 October 2012

image Villagers in Molia, Niger tend a community run garden that feeds 100 families. Credit: David Ohana/ OCHA.

Extreme poverty destroys the lives and spirit of people; it kills more children, young persons, and adults than any war. Every day, people living in extreme poverty are challenged and threatened by lack of food, shelter and access to essential services.

Recognizing that poverty is violence, the 2012 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty focuses on "Ending the violence of Extreme Poverty: Promoting empowerment and building peace".

Learn more about UNDP's work to reduce poverty >

Our Stories

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Training Beninese youth in agribusiness

Cybelle Agossou, the youngest of a family of six children, decided to enroll in a practical training course to become self-employed and help her parents. Today, at age 20, she manages a small soap-making business and employs four people. Cybelle took an 18-month training course at the Songhai Center more

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New nets help fishermen in Gaza become self-reliant

By Dania Darwish The Swedish Village, a remote village of fishermen in the far south of the Gaza Strip in the occupied Palestinian territory, is home to some 95 households living under extreme poverty. Visitors to the Village – built by the Swedish Government in the 1960s – can immediately see the p more

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Benin: New opportunities for young graduates

Faced with the difficulty of finding new employment in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city, Philippe and Ulrich, two brothers from a poor background decided to launch their own fruit juice distribution business after finishing their university studies. Nowadays, both brothers command a salary, and recruit more

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Agriculture opens new doors for young Jamaicans

Kingston – Some 650 young and jobless women and men in four impoverished areas of Jamaica have received training in cultivation and food production skills to boost their job opportunities in local farming and agro-industries. Through a three-year programme started in January 2010 by the Government a more

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FYR Macedonia: employment programme boosts entrepreneurs

Over 30 percent of people in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are unemployed, with almost a third of them out of a job for years, and more than 25 percent between the ages of 15 and 29. Until recently, 30 years-old Ivan Usaovski could only find part-time or seasonal jobs in Skopje, the cou more

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Message from Helen Clark
Helen
Helen Clark:

"Today, we do have reason to celebrate the progress made to eradicate extreme poverty, but we must continue to work together on its eradication.  I hope that the global development agenda beyond 2015 will reflect this level of ambition."

View full statement
Match Against Poverty 2012
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Brazil to host the 10th edition of the Match Against Poverty, featuring Ronaldo, Zidane and other football stars

 

Learn more about the Match
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