“ The world’s most disadvantaged citizens, who have shown us that human rights are indivisible, have a key role to play in shaping this convention as a tool to further the creation of national frameworks for an overall and coherent approach toward all human rights, be they civil or political, economic, social or cultural. ”

“ Wherever the poorest have been condemned to feeling useless, economic autonomy must be no less of a priority than creating opportunities where they can meet people from other backgrounds in order to learn from one another, and to try their collective hand at creative activities.
In addition to using their spare time to contribute to these efforts in their communities, people of all walks of life should be encouraged to make a full-time commitment through non-profit organisations dedicated to overcoming extreme poverty, for periods of a few months, a year, or a few years. ”

“ Grinding poverty can be found in every country. The convention should therefore address itself to all nations, regardless of their political, economic, social or cultural situation. The convention should also encourage all countries to share their experience and knowledge as partners in fighting poverty. The experience at the grassroots level among individuals and communities outlined in Parts One and Two of this paper should inspire co-operation and solidarity between all nations to achieve the common goal of overcoming human poverty. ”

“ Without a job we can’t envisage beginning a family. The young people I know don’t want to have children because life is too difficult. Those who already have children asked themselves, ’If things go on as they are, what kind of life will they have?’ " This young woman expresses the alienation felt by so many of our world’s poorest citizens. Many actors continue to try to create decent employment opportunities for everyone, while providing the support and training necessary if those who are most excluded from the labour market are to benefit. ”

“ ATD Fourth World’s Institute for Research and Training conducts surveys and studies, and publishes a quarterly review. To carry out its responsibilities, ATD Fourth World relies on people of all ages, from different social and cultural backgrounds and different professions. Some of them dedicate all or part of their lives alongside the very poor; others make a commitment in their own social, professional or cultural milieu. They strive to improve mutual understanding between the most excluded and the rest of society and to promote new commitments towards a more just and equitable society. ”

“ Partnership with the poorest in designing comprehensive national policies for eradicating poverty As Governments progress in formulating national policies and strategies for poverty eradication and social development, as per the Copenhagen commitments, they should focus sharply on gathering the experience and views of their poorest citizens and taking them into account. The United Nations could also survey the expertise of different grass-roots actors in civil society in order to furnish technical support for these national policies. ”

“ On the one hand, the poorest should be offered opportunities to use for personal advancement any time spent out of productive employment. On the other hand, those who are productively employed should accept – and be encouraged and supported – to leave their job situation for some time in order to go and share their skills and know-how with very poor populations, as do the United Nations Volunteers. Such commitments could take various forms, from a few hours to one or more «sabbatical years.» A number of projects in different countries have attempted to support this kind of commitment. ”

“ A Convention for Overcoming Human Poverty On the basis of these national and international efforts, a working group should be set up to study the feasibility of a legally binding Convention on Overcoming Human Poverty, crafted in partnership with the people who live in deep poverty and with those committed alongside them. ”

“ Security is necessary for the poorest not only to improve their skills in fields of their choice, but also to be part of cultural enrichment, thus preparing themselves for inventing completely new areas of activity, as discussed in Part Two.
The International Labour Office has concrete data on systems of social protection and on unemployment benefits throughout the world, and provides technical support to countries in the process of installing or modernising such systems. ”

“ This report suggests that the High Commissioner for Human Rights should be given a leading role, because the implementation of coherent policies for overcoming extreme poverty is intimately linked with the holistic approach towards the realisation of all human rights. ”

“ This should include promoting in everyone’s life a harmonious distribution of time devoted to all spheres of activities – balancing remunerated work with time for nurturing family members, neighbours and others, and for political, social and cultural participation. Broadening access to art and science so as to contribute to each person’s and each community’s cultural enrichment, as well as stimulating each person’s potential creativity for the benefit of the community. ”

“ Ensuring decent livelihood and training opportunities for very poor workers Employment policies should be developed together with training policies in order to offer very poor workers the opportunities that would allow them to secure a decent livelihood as well as to expand their knowledge and abilities in areas that prepare them for the modern labour market. If they work part-time, other forms of income for training should supplement income from work. ”

“ Universities in Thailand provide training and monitoring to post-graduate students who make a commitment to working in very poor communities.
Leadership is also needed to provide the necessary institutional and financial framework to support individual involvement, perhaps under the auspices of the United Nations. For instance, a recognised status could be created for those who work for a minimum of two years specifically for the eradication of extreme poverty. ”

“ It is recommended that 17 October 2000 be dedicated to the link between constructing peace and overcoming poverty.
Full employment Employment is essential for every person to ensure his or her personal and familial financial security. Employment with dignity provides workers with the resources to participate meaningfully in public life. As the world knows all too well, however, too many people remain out of work. Two groups of workers deserve special attention. Among unemployed workers, those who have few or no skills have fewer and fewer opportunities to enter any work situation. ”

“ For instance, when the three Dalit women in India put on a play for the community depicting their real-life situation as untouchables, they introduced the lives of the excluded into collective memory. Similarly, the very poor parents in Côte d’Ivoire – who now meet regularly to bear witness to situations of injustice, and to strengthen connections to others who are fighting poverty – say: "These gatherings make us move forward, they stimulate our ideas for getting out of poverty." ”

“ Transforming times of forced unemployed into times of human advancement Considerable efforts are undertaken by Governments, by the business sector and by social partners to offer all workers the training necessary to acquire skills adapted to a labour market in constant evolution. ”

“ People of diverse backgrounds making a personal commitment People of all ages and at any time in their lives should be urged to voluntarily dedicate their time and talents to the fight against extreme poverty. This commitment might take various forms. It could be through participation in specific activities in areas of extreme poverty, with governmental and non-governmental agencies. It could be through sharing employment. ”

“ Mention should be made here of national initiatives for eradicating poverty that have in fact been designed through a process of partnership with all concerned, including the very poor themselves. One example is the Law Against Social Exclusion adopted in France in 1998, as detailed in Part Two of this paper. Another example comes from South Africa, where Poverty Hearings and other initiatives led to a National Poverty Forum working on the adoption of the National Programme of Action to Eradicate Poverty, in implementing commitments made at the Copenhagen Summit. ”

“ ATD Fourth World’s greatest resource is the time and creativity donated by its members. works at the grass-roots level with persons and communities in very destitute and remote areas, both urban and rural. It runs multi-faceted projects developed in partnership with these persons and communities. These projects vary from training and creating employment, to fostering artistic creation, education, social participation, good health and protection of the environment. ”

“ Among those currently working, in either the formal or informal sector, the most vulnerable workers not only do not receive adequate remuneration, they also have little or no opportunity to acquire skills and to broaden their social and cultural horizons. ”

“ Appendix The International Movement ATD Fourth World is an international non-governmental organisation that engages individuals and institutions in support of the efforts of the very poor to free themselves from destitution. ATD Fourth World is concerned with the well-being of all people, and of society as a whole. ”

“ The Copenhagen Summit emphasised involving people who live in poverty and their organisations in the design, implementation, monitoring and assessment of national strategies and programmes for overcoming poverty. To ensure that they can contribute to the elaboration of national plans, partnership with the poorest is essential. ”

“ One such way is showing how these contributions in fighting poverty are valued. For instance, the United Kingdom is planning to introduce pension credits for those voluntarily providing care to the elderly and disabled. There are also several programs in the United States that reward the voluntary service commitments of young people by offering scholarships for higher education. Where possible, other such programmes could include sustainable financial support for initiatives that offer the possibility of sharing work and sharing cultural enrichment. ”

“ Creating conditions that foster harmony in educational, cultural and creative activity, in social activity and community life; and enabling meaningful participation in public life, including political life. ”

“ The challenges behind this ambition are enormous. How, for example, can the funding necessary to finance these workers, including jobless workers, be secured so that they can have access to sufficient income while benefiting from training schemes? ”

“ Rethinking Human Activity in Order to Fight Poverty and Exclusion (Pour combattre la pauvreté et l’exclusion, repenser l’activité humaine) . Contribution by the International ATD Fourth World Movement to the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen. ”

“ Countries in particularly difficult situations, if they so desire, should be given access to facilities in order to be supported in the most appropriate way. Among other partners, the very poor must be associated with this work, through non-governmental organisations and other organisations of civil society that they have chosen to represent them. ”

“ Social integration a. Harmony and cultural enrichment: Reaching the poorest "We feel as if we don’t belong to the real world. What kind of future do we have then? No work, no money, no freedom, nothing we can do. ”