Social Rights

The Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe hosted a ceremony to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, at the Palais de l’Europe forecourt in Strasbourg.

The event, held around the Slab in memory of the victims of poverty, brought together representatives of civil society, international organizations, 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 the Conference of INGOs. Highlights included contributions from the CINGO Committee for Social Rights, featuring testimonies by people affected by poverty.

Olivier De Schutter, member of the European Committee of Social Rights and UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, in his address underlined: "Grounding the fight against poverty on human rights matters for more than symbolic reasons. 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. Recognizing them as rights-holders reduces the element of shame or stigma in the delivery of social protection. It is empowering. And guaranteeing the right of the have-nots to effective participation in co-constructing solutions is a way to ensure these solutions will be not only better informed, but also more legitimate and relevant to the lived experience of people in poverty. Their unique expertise is one we cannot afford the luxury of ignoring."

In his closing remarks, Bjørn Berge, the Council of Europe's Deputy Secretary General, emphasised that - "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 UN SG Guterres. This is the challenge we are facing. Nothing more. Nothing less.”.

The ceremony concluded with the reading of the text on the “Human Rights to End Poverty” slab in French and English, followed by a collective gesture of solidarity and a final song by the Council of Europe Choir.