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On 23 February 2014, the Irish Constitutional Convention recommended to its Government, by an overwhelming majority of 85 per cent, that ESC rights be given enhanced protection in the Constitution. Eight months later the Government has yet to even respond to the Convention’s recommendation. ATD with the other members of  ESC Rights Initiative is calling on the Government to accept the recommendation of the Constitutional Convention to strengthen protection of ESC rights in Ireland and allow the Irish people to decide whether future Irish governments should be obliged to make decisions that prioritise the fundamental dignity of people living within the…

On December 16 at 3pm Dublin time (10am NY time) ATD International will be hosting an online panel discussion about the humanitarian aid system and whether it fails to reach the most vulnerable. Participants include Liz Gibbons of Harvard University, Mike Delany of Oxfam USA, Dayna Brown of CDA Collaborative, Sean Healy of MSF UK, and Diana Skelton of ATD International. More information online here. Link to register here.

During the first two weeks of December, people from all over the world will gather in Lima Peru for the most recent round of negotiations for a global treaty on Climate Change. If governments fail to combat climate change with people living in poverty, it is very likely that response measures will work against these vulnerable communities. We cannot ignore the problem and their plight. The problems created by climate change are impacting all countries, particularly people living in poverty within those countries. Thus as Parties move into the final stages of negotiations for the new climate agreement, ATD will continue…

At its Annual Meeting on November 11-12, 2014, ATD Fourth World’s International Board of Directors elected the following officers effective as of January 1, 2015: Mr. Cassam Uteem, as President, Ms. Janet Nelson, as Vice President, and Ms. Isabelle Pypaert Perrin, Mr. Paul Maréchal and Mr. Dominique Foubert who remain General Director, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer respectively. During his term as President of the Republic of Mauritius (1992-2002), Cassam Uteem was the first Head of State to champion the recognition by the United Nations of October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (adopted in December 1992). Later,…

All Together in Dignity Ireland's greeting cards are meaningful. They have been created by members and friends of ATD throughout the world. Using these cards expresses your support for the cause of fighting poverty. Ordering these cards is a way to make a financial donation and support this cause. Download the "Greeting Cards leaflet" here. Order cards by e-mail or phone to 01 855 81 91. Donations: € 1 and we offer you 2 cards! € 8 and we offer you 20 cards! Postage costs : Up to 10 cards € 2 - from 12 to 30 cards: € 3,50  -…

Looking ahead to the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on November 20, UNICEF released a few weeks ago essays that ask a critical question: “Is the world a better place for children?” For the past 40 years, the ATD children's network TAPORI has been trying to discuss this question with children. On the 10th anniversary of the CRC, Tapori children met in Geneva with Mary Robinson and they presented her their Appeal. Today Tapori runs again and again campaigns to collect voices and thoughts of children (age 7 to 13) worldwide. You can invite…

ATD prepared remarks for the Geneva NGO Forum for the Beijing+20 UN ECE Regional Review which took place on 3-5 November 2014. Held in 1995, the Beijing conference was the most ambitious international conference on gender equality ever held, and the Beijing+20 process is an important part of continuing its work into the future. ATD remarks focus on four areas that should be addressed: 1. Greater attention needs to be given to the multidimensionality of poverty in order to develop more effective anti-poverty strategies. 2. Poverty needs to be recognized not only as a consequence of gender discrimination, but also as…

Dóchas and ATD as associate member welcomed on Monday 20th October, the announcement that Ireland, alongside Kenya, would lead international negotiations on a new global development strategy to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, which will come to an end in 2015. Ireland and Kenya were jointly appointed this weekend by the UN General Assembly, to co-facilitate negotiations which will agree a new set of global development goals, for adoption at a summit of world leaders in New York in September 2015. The new goals will set targets for the eradication of global poverty and hunger along with targets for addressing other…

For centuries, people around the world have built memorials to both suffering and heroism. We hold ceremonies to honor those who have endured injustice or died fighting it. Through such memorials and ceremonies, we remind ourselves of war, slavery, oppression, and genocide with the hope: "never again." . But when do we recall the suffering and injustice that extreme poverty inflicts on people whose resistance leaves no trace upon the earth? They are buried in unmarked graves. Their neighborhoods are erased from our maps. Their words are forgotten. . October 17, the World Day for Overcoming Poverty, is a time to…