Introduction speech on Poverty

"Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings." "This forum in the United Nations, have already promised to focus on the issue of poverty. I say to all those leaders: do not look the other way; do not hesitate. Recognize that the world is hungry for action, not words. Act with courage and vision." "Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom." "Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom. Of course the task will not be easy. But not to do this would be a crime against humanity, against which I ask all humanity now to rise up." "Make Poverty History in 2025. Then we can all stand with our heads held high. It is time for the United Nations to make significant and long-term investments in income supports and services. But the UN needs to demonstrate that its commitment to children is more than token. Now the UNDP must show that it is serious about helping us out by allocating a large budget for poverty alleviation.

Poverty in Canada: The time to act is now

Recent research shows that poverty has serious negative consequences for children's development. One report, called Income and Child Well-being, examined the effects of family income on 27 aspects of child development using data from a large, national Statistics Canada survey. The results showed a clear and disturbing pattern: from their health and academic achievement to their behavior and the types of friends they find, children living in families whose income are $30,000 or less display consistently poorer outcomes in every facet of their development. For example: nearly 35 per cent of children in low-income families live in sub-standard housing, More than one-quarter of low-income children live in problem neighborhoods. Nearly 40 per cent of very lowincome children demonstrate high levels of indirect aggression (such as starting fights with peers or family members. Left unchecked, more Canadian children are likely to suffer poorer outcomes, because income inequality between Canadian families is getting worse. In 1973, the poorest 20 per cent of families with children earned only 5 per cent of all market income - that is, earnings from employment and private investments. By 1996, that percentage had dropped to 2 per cent. Hence, I request the UNDP to demonstrate that its commitment to poverty alleviation by taking serious measures to help out Canada. We hence request for allocating a larger amount in this financial year of at least $2500 mn for poverty alleviation in Canada.