International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed on October 17 each year since 1993. It promotes people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution worldwide, particularly in developing countries.

The theme of this year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty – Acting together to achieve social and environmental justice for all.

On October 17, 1987, poverty was proclaimed as a violation of human rights by people who had assembled at the Trocadéro in Paris to honor the victims of extreme poverty, hunger, and violence. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was also signed on this day in 1948. People who gathered also recognized the need to protect their rights which were inscribed on a commemorative stone that was unveiled the same day.

According to the World Bank, between 88 and 115 million people are being pushed into poverty as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, with the majority of the new extreme poor being found in South Asian and Sub-Saharan countries where poverty rates are already high.

ADRA in Bangladesh is working tirelessly to eradicate poverty and develop the livelihood of the marginalized people through a wide range of Income Generating Activities (IGAs). ADRA is maneuvering its intervention through Community Empowerment Project (CEP) across the country targeting to eliminate poverty.

Various non-government organizations and community charities support the Day for the Eradication of Poverty by actively calling for country leaders and governments to make the fight against poverty a central part of foreign policy.