FTF partners with UN forum on poverty eradication

2006/11/15 14:25:00 GMT+0530

The Feminist Task Force (FTF) participated in the International Forum, organized to mark the end of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, as a follow-up to activities marking the GCAP Month of Mobilization, 2006.

The Forum was organized to mark the end of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty.

The Forum’s objectives were first, to send a strong message on the importance of a continued and enhanced commitment to poverty eradication in the run-up to 2015; second, to provide a valuable opportunity for forward-looking dialogue among stakeholders on the next steps over the next decade towards the realization of the universal goal of poverty eradication.

The Forum was a collaborative effort headed by the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and included many UN departments, funds and Programmes and Specialized agencies.
The objectives for FTF participation were:

• To raise awareness about how poverty affects women and the extent to which women are affected;
• To emphasize gender equality as a means to end poverty at the Forum;

• To increase the FTF-GCAP’s visibility at the UN beyond the scope of the Month of Mobilization;
• To provide gender balance and the voice of women from the South to the Forum’s panels;
• To partner with the UN and its agencies/departments and NGO’s on this important two-day international forum.
  

Rosa Lizarde, the North American FTF representative in New York, participated in the working level meetings convened by the DSPD prior to the Forum. Ms. Wahu Kaara, chair of the Kenyan Debt Relief Network, represented the FTF as a featured speaker in the opening plenary as well as on a panel entitled, “Working Together, Building Partnerships” organized by DSPD.

The opening panel included Mr. Jose Antonio Ocampo, Under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs as the keynote speaker, H.E. Ms. Tiina Intelmann, Ambassador of Estonia and Chair of the Second Committee, and Mr. Peter Townsend, Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research, UK.

Excerpts of Ms. Wahu Kaara’s presentation are below:
(Click here to download her full speech)

“The theme of the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006) was founded on, “eradicating poverty is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind.” As we take stock today, we must always bear in mind these core pillars of the mission.

Every year nearly 11 million children die before their fifth birthday. 1.1 billion people had consumption levels below $1 a day and 2.7 billion lived on less than $2 a day (remember we are a global population of around 6 billion). 800 million people go to bed hungry everyday (that’s around the total population of Africa).

It is very true that we are the first generation that can end poverty!

We must promote gender equality, economic and social rights.

Even if poverty maybe lessening for the world as a whole, it continues to be an enormous problem. One third of deaths – some 18 million people a year or 50,000 per day – are due to poverty related causes. That is 270 million people since 1990, the majority women (like me and my sisters in this sitting) and children (like my own four or worse my two beautiful grand daughters).

We must face poverty and eyeball it as a human construct not a naturally occurring phenomena.”

Wahu also participated on the panel entitled, “Working Together, Building Partnerships” on November 16th, which also included Mr. Bharat Wakhlu, President of Tata Inc.; Mr. Amir Dossal, Executive Director of the UN Fund for International Partnerships; and Ms. Stefania Marcone, Director of the International Relations Office, Legacoop.

Wahu spoke about people’s experiences informing alternatives and models that the people embrace. Furthermore, she said working together is about developing real partnerships that are founded on justice, equality and dignity as a foundation for a new discourse.

She said, “Goal 8 of the Millennium Development Goals, developing a Global partnership for Development, must be embraced as a fundamental pillar of the paradigm shift that we are all talking about. And this partnership must be founded on Justice not Charity!” She received a great applause from the audience.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/poverty/PovertyForum/
The Programme.

News media links:

Quote of Wahu’s presentation in the UN News Centre online

Press release for Forum