A ceremony has taken place to mark the upcoming International Day for the eradication of poverty, which is on 17 October. The ceremony was organised by the Council of Europe's Conference of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), whose session is taking place in Strasbourg. The ceremony took place at the Palais de l'Europe forecourt.
The event, held in memory of the victims of poverty, brought together representatives of civil society, international organisations, and individuals with lived experience of poverty to reaffirm the shared commitment to social justice and human dignity.
The ceremony opened with a performance by the Council of Europe choir, followed by welcoming remarks from Gerhard Ermischer, President of Conference of INGOs.
Highlights included contributions from the Conference's Committee for social rights, featuring testimonies by people affected by poverty. Olivier De Schutter, member of the European Committee of social rights and United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights underlined: "Stating that people in poverty have rights, including the right to be protected from poverty and social exclusion as stated in the European Social Charter, is to say that they are not passive beneficiaries of public charity: they are entitled to various forms of support, they can hold the state accountable, and their expertise matters to shaping solutions that work."
"'Too often, people living in poverty are blamed, stigmatised, and pushed into the shadows. Yet, poverty is not a personal failure; it is a systemic failure - a denial of dignity and human rights', said the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres [marking the day]. This is the challenge we are facing. Nothing more. Nothing less," concluded Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge in his remarks at the ceremony.
The ceremony was rounded off with a collective gesture of solidarity including the reading of the "Human Rights to End Poverty" text followed by and a final song by the Council of Europe choir.
Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) of the Council of Europe
