RES/8/11 Human rights and extreme poverty

Human Rights Council

Resolution 8/11. Human rights and extreme poverty

The Human Rights Council,

Recalling that, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and

the international covenants on human rights, the ideal of free human beings enjoying

freedom from fear and want can be achieved only if conditions are created whereby

everyone may enjoy his or her economic, social and cultural rights, as well as his or her

civil and political rights,

Bearing in mind paragraph 6 of General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March

2006,

Recalling its resolutions 5/1 on institution-building of the Human Rights Council

and 5/2 on a code of conduct for special procedures mandate-holders of the Council of 18

June 2007, and stressing that the mandate-holder shall discharge his or her duties in

accordance with these resolutions and their annexes thereto,

Recalling also all previous resolutions on the issue of human rights and extreme

poverty adapted by the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights, as well

as its own relevant resolutions including Council resolutions 2/2 and 7/27,

Recalling further the United Nations Millennium Declaration, adopted by Heads

of State and Government on the occasion of the Millennium Summit, and their

commitment to eradicate extreme poverty and to halve, by 2015, the proportion of the

world’s people whose income is less than one dollar a day and of those suffer from

hunger,

Recalling that, in its resolution 62/205 of 19 December 2007, the General

Assembly proclaimed the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty

(2008–2017), in order to support, in a efficient and coordinated manner, the

internationally agreed development goals related to poverty eradication, including the

Millennium Development goals,

Bearing in mind the resolutions of the General Assembly on human rights and

extreme poverty, and the importance they attach to giving persons living in extreme

poverty the wherewithal to organize and participate in all aspects of political, economic

and social life,

Deeply concerned that extreme poverty persists in all countries of the world,

regardless of their economic, social and cultural situation, and that its extent and

manifestations are particularly severe in developing countries,

Concerned at the insufficient progress notwithstanding the priority and urgency

given by the Heads of State and Government to the eradication of poverty, as expressed

in the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic

and social fields,

Reaffirming that the fight against extreme poverty must remain a high priority for

the international community,

Stressing the need to better understand the causes and consequences of extreme

poverty,

Stressing also that respect for all human rights, which are universal, indivisible

and interdependent and interrelated, is of crucial importance for all policies and programs

to fight extreme poverty at the local and national levels,

Expressing its gratitude to the former independent expert on the question of

human rights and extreme poverty for the important work accomplished in the discharge

of his mandate, and conscious of the necessity to continue this work,

1. Acknowledges the report of the Independent Expert on extreme poverty

(A/HRC/7/15), and takes note of his proposed to define extreme poverty as the

combination of income poverty, human development poverty and social exclusion;

2. Decides to extend the mandate of the independent expert on extreme

poverty for a period of three years, in order to, inter alia:

(a) Further examine the relationship between the enjoyment of human rights

and extreme poverty;

(b) Identify alternative approaches to the removal of all obstacles, including

institutional ones, at the regional, national and international, public, corporate and

societal levels, to the full enjoyment of human rights for all people living in extreme

poverty;

(c) Identify, including in cooperation with international financial

organizations, the most efficient measures taken at the national, regional and international

levels to promote the full enjoyment of human rights of persons living in extreme

poverty;

(d) Make recommendations on how people living in extreme poverty can

participate in the process towards the full enjoyment of their human rights and the

sustainable improvement of their quality of life, including through empowerment and

resource mobilization at all levels;

(e) Develop cooperation with other United Nations bodies dealing with

human rights and that are also active in the fight against extreme poverty;

(f) Participate in the assessment of the implementation of the Second

United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, the internationally agreed goals

contained in the Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus (A/CONF. 198/11,

chap. I, resolution 1, annex), adopted by the International Conference on Financing for

Development in March 2002, and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on

Sustainable Development;

(g) Work on the impact of discrimination on extreme poverty, bearing in mind

the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action adopted in September 2001 by the

World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related

Intolerance;

(h) Pay particular attention to the situation and empowerment of women in

extreme poverty, applying a gender perspective in his or her work;

(i) Pay particular attention to children living in extreme poverty, as well as to

the most vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities who live in extreme

poverty;

(j) Submit recommendations that could contribute to the realization of

Millennium Development Goals, and in particular of goal 1, which consists in the halving

by 2015 the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day and the

proportion of people who suffer from hunger, taking into account the role of international

assistance and cooperation in reinforcing national actions to reduce extreme poverty;

(k) Continue participating in and contributing to relevant international

conferences and events with the aim of promoting the reduction of extreme poverty,

3. Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights to give high priority to the question of the relationship between extreme poverty

and human rights and invites it to pursue further work in this area, integrating and

cooperating fully with the Independent Expert in the various activities, notably the Social

Forum and the consultation on the draft guiding principles on extreme poverty, and to

provide all necessary human and financial resources for the effective fulfilment of the

mandate of the independent expert;

4. Requests the independent expert to submit an annual report on the

implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly and to the Council, in

accordance with their programme of work,

5. Calls upon all Governments to cooperate with and assist the independent

expert in his or her task, to supply all necessary information requested by him or her and

to give serious consideration to responding favourably to the requests of the independent

expert to visit their countries, to enable him or her to fulfil his or her mandate effectively,

6. Invites relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, treaty

bodies and civil society actors, including non-governmental organizations, as well as the

private sector, to cooperate fully with the independent expert in the fulfilment of his or

her mandate,

7. Decides to continue its consideration of the question of human rights and

extreme poverty, in accordance with its programme of work.

28th meeting 18 June 2008

[Adopted without a vote.]