New Insights at the UN Commission for Social Development 2018.
For many years, International Movement ATD Fourth World has been active in the Commission for Social Development by bringing the voices and knowledge of people living in poverty during the plenary sessions and by organizing side-events, that are small scale-conferences organized in parallel to the Commission.
This year, the theme of the 56th Commission (CSocD56) was specifically interesting to our organization: "Strategies for eradicating poverty to achieve sustainable development for all." One of the measures that was adopted by government officials and civil society leaders was the creation and increase of social protection systems worldwide, which would help lift the millions of people living in poverty and especially those in vulnerable situations.
Bringing knowledge from people living in poverty, practitioners, and academics to CSocD56
This year, ATD Fourth World was involved in three side-events where knowledge from academia, practices, and lived experiences of poverty were brought to the table and shared with different stakeholders - Member States, UN agencies, and other Civil Society Organizations.
Social Protection Floors as Key Tools for Eradicating Poverty: Best Practices and Strategies for the Future
The main side-event organized this year by ATD Fourth World - in partnership with the Global Coalition on Social Protection Floors, Bread for the World, the International Trade Union Confederation and the NGO Committee on Social Development - focused on Social Protection Floors as the key tools for eradicating poverty.The objective of the side event was to bring perspectives from a variety of development stakeholders, including grassroots organizations, trade unions, Member States, and international organizations.
By discussing the need to extend social protection coverage to all people including those left furthest behind, the speakers highlighted the importance of providing social protection through a rights-based approach where communities, especially the marginalized ones, are at the center. Their needs and voices must be integrated through meaningful participation in the design, implementation and monitoring of social protection schemes that directly affect their lives.
Régis de Muylder from ATD Fourth World in Haiti presented the health project he has co-started in Port-au-Prince, in partnership with the local organization to give access to healthcare to thousands of people living in extreme poverty. His knowledge, based on his experience as a doctor, practitioner, and ATD Volunteer Corps member, informed the discussion around how the furthest behind could be reached through an integrated and grassroots approach putting the poorest at the center.
The impact of this healthcare project is amazing - for $11.50 per person a year, over four thousands families received healthcare. His intervention can be watched in the video here.
At the policy level, other speakers discussed how further global commitments should be taken by governments to increase levels of social protection around the world. Adopting a specific resolution on social protection at the next Commission on Social Development in 2019 could be an opportunity to further encourage Member States in their commitment to protect their citizens from various setbacks and shocks throughout their lives.
A Systematic Approach to Eliminating Homelessness
The second side event ATD Fourth World contributed to dealt with the crucial topic of homelessness. This side event was organized by the Mission of Ireland to the United Nations and the Vincentian Family NGOs at the United Nations.Homelessness affects an estimated 100 million people globally. UN Habitat indicates that as many as 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing. Homelessness is an issue which lies at the intersection of public health, domestic violence, mental illness, urbanization, racial discrimination, housing affordability, infrastructure, natural disaster, and unemployment concerns. The objective of this side event was to hear how homelessness affects those who experienced it, as well as concrete strategies to eliminate it through partnerships.
Patrick Lubin, ATD Fourth World Human Right Activist, delivered a powerful speech, sharing his story of homelessness and his recommendations to support those living in poverty. His entire intervention can be watched here.
"At the same time, I don't want you to define me as just a homeless person. I am who I am and I think what's important is to send this message. It's a very hard situation, but I am not my situation. It is possible to survive and get out of this trouble."- Patrick Lubin
Among the recommendations Patrick Lubin made, a central one was the idea that people living in poverty should be introduced as new partners in building knowledge. This knowledge will inform social policies that are effective and based on human rights. For example, at the local level, the knowledge of people living in poverty is needed to reform social services and the shelter system. Another key idea was that issues such as discrimination of the homeless are still major obstacles to claiming their rights.
Poverty: A Threat to Democracy, Human Rights, and Climate Change
Poverty and inequalities have been identified by many as one of the biggest threats to democracy and human rights. Many people living in poverty are victims of discrimination, injustices and do not have access to legal redress. Many of them do not have faith in institutions of democracy due to increasing inequalities and as they are not benefiting from such institution. Empirical evidence suggests that poverty can have an impact on democracy, food security, resilience to climate change, security, and human rights.
In this third side-event organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and OPAD, a Sweden-based NGO, Dr. Geneviève Tardieu, head of advocacy of the International Movement ATD Fourth World, was a keynote speaker, looking at the interconnections between extreme poverty, climate change and vulnerability and insisting on the fact that extreme poverty is both a cause and consequences of human rights violations.
In her keynote speech, Dr. GenevièveTardieu highlighted that poor families themselves are striving for human rights and a first step should be democratization of knowledge. A strong investment must be made to promote equal participation for all.
In relation to climate change, people living in poverty are often the first victims of climate change as they are most vulnerable to environmental degradation. Anti-poverty strategies should therefore be integrated with programs to protect the environment and the impact of climate change should be monitored with a particular attention to vulnerable communities. Her intervention can be watched in here.
To conclude, through these contributions in various side-events in parallel of the Commission on Social Development, the International Movement ATD Fourth World ensures that the voices and interests of the most vulnerable ones are heard, whether they live in Haiti, the United States of America, Philippines, or in any parts of the world. Extreme poverty exists everywhere and is multidimensional. Bringing and merging different types of knowledge is the only way to have a complete and deep understanding of what extreme poverty is and how we can eradicate it, in partnership with those who experience it on a daily basis.