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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Lao PDR: Diversifying crops to cope with climate change

For Ki Her, the head of Kioutaloun village in mountainous northern Lao PDR, and 95 percent of the population who grow rice, the change in the weather over the past five years presents significant challenges. With shorter but more intense rainy seasons, followed by longer dry seasons, farmers are st more

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DRC: Former combatants gain skills and income through reintegration

For 32-year old Wathum Ukecha, life has taken a turn for the better since he volunteered to be demobilized after four years as a fighter in the forests of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Wathum is one of 160 people – mainly ex-combatants, vulnerable women and school drop-outs– who were tra more

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Building a brighter future for rice farmers in Cambodia

Farmers in the small community of Tuol Sdey, in the Svay Rieng province of southeastern Cambodia, have reason to be happy.  For the first time in decades they can rejoice in having two harvests in one season. This is largely due to the construction of a new water dam which stores rain in a near more

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Moving towards self-sufficiency in Madagascar

A Madagascar-based civil society organization, Association Anja Miray runs a community forest reserve, using ecotourism to create jobs and fund basic social infrastructure such as schools, health clinics and environmental education centers. "Prior to our initiative, this vast territory was clea more

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Solar power provides sustainability to Croatian village

“The milk that we produce, we cannot sell,” says Mileva Desnica, who lives in the small village of Ajderovac in Croatia. “We don’t have electricity for a refrigerator, so we can only store food in the cold room for a day or two at most.” The municipality of Gračac where the village is located was cu 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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