HRBA Portal

The Draft Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights: The Rights of the Poor
This document illustrates several guiding principles on the implementation of existing human rights norms and standards in the context of the fight against extreme poverty.

Human Rights and Poverty Reduction: A Conceptual Framework
This OHCHR Conceptual Framework presents a clear vision of a human rights-based approach to poverty reduction, which encompasses accountability and empowering people as actors for their own development.

The Human Rights Based Approach to Poverty Reduction Tool 1: Identification of the Poor and Vulnerable: Poverty in Macedonian Municipalities
The study presented here is part of the project “Human Rights and Poverty Reduction in Macedonia”, which aims at piloting the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) to Poverty Reduction on local, regional and national level. The ultimate aim is to support Good (Local) Governance in development planning, to include the specific needs of the disadvantaged and poor, based on the human rights based approach.

In 2002, the OHCHR developed its Principles and Guidelines for a Human Rights Approach to Poverty Reduction Stragies, to explore and articulate a human rights approach to poverty reduction.    View the guidelines here.   These guidelines were complemented in 2004, with the publication, Human Rights and Poverty Reduction:  A conceptual framework.  More

Specific Instruments

Articles 22 and 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right (1945)
Stipulates that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well‑being of himself and of his or her family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his/her control,

Resolution 2005/16. Human Rights and Extreme Poverty (2005)
Recalls that the eradication of widespread poverty, including its most persistent forms, and the full enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights and civil and political rights remain interrelated goals; Reaffirms that the promotion of all human rights, including the right to development, and the elimination of extreme poverty can contribute substantially to the promotion and consolidation of democracy.

Resolution 59/186. Human Rights and Extreme Poverty (2005)
Reaffirms (a) that extreme poverty persists in all countries of the world, regardless of their economic, social and cultural situation, (b) that extreme poverty and exclusion from society constitute a violation of human dignity and that urgent national and international action is therefore required to eliminate them, (c) that it is essential for States to foster participation by the poorest people in the decision-making process in the societies in which they live.

Resolution 2/2: Human Rights and Extreme Poverty (2005)
In its resolution 2/2 of 27 November 2006, the Council took note of the draft guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights.

Resolution 2006/9. Implementation of Existing Human Rights Norms and Standards in the Context of the Fight Against Extreme Poverty (2006)
Calls for the implementation of existing human rights norms and standards in the context of the fight against extreme poverty, and references several other resolutions and reports calling attention to extreme poverty.

55/2. United Nations Millennium Declaration (2000)
Resolves to address the causes and conditions of extreme poverty, with an aim to reduce by half the number of people living on less than a dollar-per-day by 2015.

General Assembly Resolution 50/107: Observance of the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty and proclamation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1996)
Emphases the necessity for Governments to focus their efforts and policies on addressing the root causes of poverty and providing for the basic needs of all, and recognizes that the eradication of poverty requires ensuring universal access to economic opportunities that will promote sustainable livelihood.

Resolution 48/183: International Year for the Eradication of Poverty (1993)
Calls attention to the need for awareness, cooperation, and action to address global poverty and promote sustainable development in developing countries, while calling for programs and policies to further these goals.

Other Relevant Instruments

Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (1993)
It calls for States to foster participation by the poorest people in the decision-making process by the community in which they live, the promotion of human rights and efforts to combat extreme poverty, and condemn that gross and systematic violations and situations that constitute serious obstacles to the full enjoyment of all human rights including poverty and other denials of economic, social and cultural rights.

Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development (1995)
Acknowledges an urgent need to address poverty and to address both their underlying and structural causes and their distressing consequences in order to reduce uncertainty and insecurity in the life of people.

Decision 2005/234: Declaration of the Commission for Social Development on the tenth anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development (2005)
A decade after the Copenhagen Declaration, a recommitment on the basis of our common pursuit of social development.

Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development (2002)
Reaffirms a commitment to sustainable development and to building a humane, equitable and caring global society, cognizant of the need for human dignity for all.
See also:

• Articles 9, 11, 12 and 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights  
• Article 6 (1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 
• Article 5 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 
• Articles 11, 12, 13 and 14 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women  
• Articles 24 and 27 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child  
• Articles 24 to 30 and 43 of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families
• Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  

UN Independent Expert on the Question of Human Rights and Extreme Poverty

The mandate of the UN Independent Expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty was established to evaluate the relationship between the enjoyment of human rights and extreme poverty.  The expert is required by the Human Rights Council to examine and report back to member States on initiatives taken to promote and protect the rights of those living in extreme poverty, and is mandated to:

• Identify approaches for removing all obstacles, including institutional ones, to the full enjoyment of human rights for people living in extreme poverty and to identify efficient measures to promote their rights.
• Make recommendations on how persons living in extreme poverty can participate in the definition of measures affecting them.
• Study the impact of discrimination and to pay particular attention to the situation of women, children and other vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities living in extreme poverty.
• Participate in the assessment of the implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty and to submit recommendations on the realization of Millennium Development Goals, in particular the first goal.
• Develop cooperation with United Nations bodies dealing with the same subject and to continue participating in relevant international conferences on extreme poverty.

In the fulfillment of the mandate, the Independent Expert:

• Responds to information received concerning the human rights situation of people living in extreme poverty;
• Develops constructive dialogue with Governments, international organizations, civil society and other relevant actors with a view to identifying ways to remove all obstacles to the full enjoyment of human rights for people living in extreme poverty .
• Submits annual reports to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly on the activities of the mandate.  See annual reports.
• Undertakes country visits and reports on findings, good practices and recommendations.  See  country visits