INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY: OCTOBER 17, 2012

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY

Quick Facts

The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is annually observed on October 17 to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty worldwide.

Local names

Name	Language
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	English
Día Internacional para la Erradicación de la Pobreza	Spanish

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2012

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2013

Thursday, October 17, 2013

The United Nations’ (UN) 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 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty promotes awareness of the need to eradicate poverty worldwide. ©iStockphoto.com/VikramRaghuvanshi

What do people do?

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. Other activities may include signing “Call to action” petitions, organizing concerts and cultural events, and holding interfaith gatherings that may include a moment of silence.

Public life

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is a global observance and not a public holiday.

Background

The observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty can be traced back to October 17, 1987. On that date, more than 100,000 people gathered in Paris, France, to honor the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger. Since that moment, individuals and organizations worldwide observed October 17 as a day to renew their commitment in collaborating towards eradicating poverty. In December, 1992, the UN General Assembly officially declared October 17 as the date for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (resolution 47/196 of December 22, 1992).

In December 1995, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997–2006), following the Copenhagen Social Summit. At the Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders committed themselves to cutting by half the number of people living in extreme poverty by the year 2015.

Symbols

The United Nations Postal Administration previously issued six commemorative stamps and a souvenir card on the theme “We Can End Poverty”. These stamps and the souvenir card featured drawings or paintings of people, particularly children, working together in the fight against poverty. Many of these images used strong colors and contrasts. These stamps resulted from an art competition where six designs were selected from more than 12,000 children from 124 countries.

Note: Although the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was first officially celebrated by the UN in 1993, many people around the world celebrated the day annually on October 17 since 1987.

External Links

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty Observances

Weekday	Date	Year	Name	Holiday type
Sat	Oct 17	1987	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Mon	Oct 17	1988	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Tue	Oct 17	1989	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Wed	Oct 17	1990	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Thu	Oct 17	1991	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Sat	Oct 17	1992	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Sun	Oct 17	1993	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Mon	Oct 17	1994	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Tue	Oct 17	1995	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Thu	Oct 17	1996	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Fri	Oct 17	1997	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Sat	Oct 17	1998	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Sun	Oct 17	1999	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Tue	Oct 17	2000	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Wed	Oct 17	2001	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Thu	Oct 17	2002	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Fri	Oct 17	2003	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Sun	Oct 17	2004	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Mon	Oct 17	2005	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Tue	Oct 17	2006	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Wed	Oct 17	2007	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Fri	Oct 17	2008	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Sat	Oct 17	2009	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Sun	Oct 17	2010	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Mon	Oct 17	2011	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Wed	Oct 17	2012	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Thu	Oct 17	2013	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Fri	Oct 17	2014	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance
Sat	Oct 17	2015	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	United Nations observance

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY: OCTOBER 17, 2012