International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2021: Know its history, theme & more

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed annually on October 17 to acknowledge the growing number of people being pushed below the poverty line. Conflicts around the world aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic have reversed decades of progress in the fight against extreme poverty, said the United Nations. This is marked by the world's make a step forward in ending persistent poverty and respect all people of our planet.

As per the UN, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty can be traced back to 1987 when over a hundred thousand people gathered in Paris to honour the victims of poverty and hunger. This particular day was adopted by the International organisation in 1992 to commemorate and show solidarity with the poor.

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2021: Significance and Theme

Before talking about the significance of the day, it is mandatory to look at the harrowing crisis the world is already in. As mentioned earlier, the pandemic has pushed the world economy back by decades. As per World Bank data, roughly 143-163 billion people fell below the poverty line. This is in addition to the 1.3 billion that are already living in "multidimensional and persistent poverty." Thus, this day is observed to encourage the participation of the vulnerable populations in employment and developmental opportunities in order to enable them to become resourceful and self-sufficient.

"In the Middle East and North Africa, extreme poverty rates nearly doubled between 2015 and 2018, from 3.8 percent to 7.2 percent, spurred by the conflicts in the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Yemen," UN reported.

The theme assigned to the day this year is "Building Forward Together: Ending Persistent Poverty." The thought somewhat aligns with the US-led "BuildBackBetter" campaign that aims to get the COVID-hit economy back on track complying with the policies of sustainable development. However, the UN did clarify citing people living in poverty that it does not want to "return to the past nor to build back what was before."

Messages to look at on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2021

1. "An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal element of all republics."- Plutarch.

2. "Poverty is like punishment for the crime you didn't commit."- Eli Khamarov.

3. "The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread."- Mother Teresa.

4. "Poverty is a very complicated issue but feeding a child isn't."- Jeff Bridges.

5. "Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty and advancing economic growth... These are all one same fight."- Ban Ki-Moon.

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