INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR ERADICATION OF POVERTY AND WORLD FOOD DAY

Note to Correspondents

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR ERADICATION OF POVERTY AND WORLD FOOD DAY

TO BE OBSERVED AT UN HEADQUARTERS ON 17 OCTOBER 2003

To remind us of the plight of the victims of extreme poverty and those who suffer from the pains of hunger, joint events will be held at United Nations Headquarters on 17 October 2003 to observe the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and World Food Day.

Events for the day are being co-organized by the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the International Movement ATD Fourth World Initiative.

A commemoration for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty will be taking place at the United Nations Garden from 10:30 to 11.45 a.m.  This event will gather children and adults representing poor communities.  United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, José Antonio Ocampo, will deliver the Secretary-General’s message for the Day.  Also taking part will be the President of the Economic and Social Council, Ambassador Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala; the Permanent Representatives of France and Burkina Faso to the United Nations; non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations staff and others to bear witness to those who fight poverty, hunger and violence.

The ATD Fourth World Initiative has invited two representatives of very poor families in Guatemala, Clara Chet de Rivera and Marta Zoila Caballeros, to share testimonies about what it means to build solidarity with others, despite living in extreme poverty.  This event will also feature a performance by the Peace of Heart Choir from New York.

This event will be followed by a special ceremony on the occasion of World Food Day on the theme “Working together for an international alliance against hunger”, organized by the FAO.  This event will take place in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium between 12:30 and 2 p.m. and will bring together children from the Tapori Network -– an international network of children concerned about poverty -– who will act out an African folktale and discuss poverty and hunger with children from Zimbabwe and the Director General of the FAO, Jacques Diouf.

Background

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.

The first observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was in 1987, spearheaded by ATD Fourth World.  This international NGO is dedicated to overcoming extreme poverty by exploring partnership with families living in chronic poverty, and by encouraging private citizens and public officials to join this effort.  The International Day 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.

Every year, the United Nations and ATD Fourth World have co-sponsored a commemoration, with support from the Permanent Missions of France and Burkina Faso and other NGOs.

The aim of World Food Day (16 October), proclaimed in 1979 by the Conference of the FAO of the United Nations, is to heighten public awareness of the world food problem and to strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty.  The Day marks the date of the founding of the FAO in 1945.  In 1980, the General Assembly endorsed observance of the Day in consideration of the fact that “food is a requisite for human survival and well-being and a fundamental human necessity” (resolution 35/70 of 5 December).

For more information, please contact:  Diane Skelton, Representative to the United Nations, Fourth World Movement, tel.:  +1-212-228-1339, e-mail:  nycteam@4thworldmovement.org; Felice Llamas, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, tel.:  +1-212-963-2924, e-mail:  llamas@un.org; Michael Hage, Food and Agricultural Organization, tel.:  +1-212-963-6036/6319, e-mail:  michael.hage@fao.org; or Rolando Gomez, United Nations Department of Public Information, tel.:  +1-212-963-2744, e-mail:  mediainfo@un.org

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