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A call for the Government to accept the recommendation of the Constitutional Convention that economic, social and cultural rights be given enhanced protection in the Constitution ATD with many organisations gathered by the Economic, Social and Cultural (ESC) Rights Initiative  wrote on 26 September 2014 to the Taoiseach and to the Tánaiste. On 31 March the Constitutional Convention recommended to the Government, by an overwhelming majority of 85%, that ESC rights be given enhanced protection in the Constitution. The Government was due to respond to the recommendation by the end of July. Disappointingly and in breach of the Conventions’ terms of…

Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan TD, signed and ratified the Third Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in New York on 24th September 2014. The Children’s Rights Alliance and its members have campaigned for Ireland to sign and ratify this important procedure since 2012. This is a tremendous achievement for Minister Reilly, Minister Flanagan and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs who have worked tirelessly to get this protocol ratified in record time. Now children’s rights will be protected at the highest level. Ireland is one of the first countries in the…

Irish overseas aid agencies called on the Government to ensure it made no further cuts to the overseas aid budget and to set out how it will meet the 0.7% ODA/GNI target it had originally committed to achieving by 2015. The call was made by the members of Dóchas www.dochas.ie, the umbrella group of 62 Irish Development NGO and global justice groups, as they presented their 2015 pre-Budget Submission to the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan TD. Presenting the submission, Hans Zomer of Dóchas said: “Ireland’s overseas aid is effective. It makes real and positive differences to the lives of millions…

ATD's latest book was just released online as a free e-book download. The book is titled Artisans of Peace Overcoming Poverty, and it grew out of the participatory research on the violence of extreme poverty that showed just how much people living in poverty do to search for peace, to go beyond violence, and to build a sense of community. The text began its life as part of ATD's submission when Federico Mayor nominated ATD for the Nobel Prize in 2013. You can download a free copy of the book here: http://ebook.atd-fourthworld.org This represents the culmination of a lot of work on…

ATD UK www.atd-uk.org, in partnership with artist and photographer Eva Sajovic, is proud to present work from new book: The Roles We Play: Recognising the Contribution of People in Poverty www.therolesweplay.co.uk/ This new collection of photographic portraits and self-written biographies explores the roles played by those living in poverty within their families, communities and society at large. The aim is to highlight their efforts, validate their achievements and challenge the negative attitudes often held towards vulnerable and excluded families in the UK. The Roles We Play: Recognising the Contribution of People Living in Poverty, will be officially launched on UN Day…

Did you know that ATD has been running Street Libraries in the US for over 30 years now? The first Street Library in the US started in 1981 in Coney Island and East New York. Today ATD USA runs Street Libraries almost everywhere we have a team. The idea is simple - we bring books and creative activities into communities to share them with children. Kids learn to read, they learn to paint - more importantly, they learn to love books and art. And then little by little, they learn to take pride in their community (where all this happens), in…

Every day, around the world, people living in poverty work for peace in often unseen ways. Joining in this struggle has been the mission of ATD internationally for more than 50 years. This book is rooted in participatory research that was conducted by ATD on the violence of extreme poverty that showed just how much people living in poverty do to search for peace, to go beyond violence, and to build a sense of community. Through narratives, photos, and video links, we discover the acts of courage, as well as the creativity, experience, and insights of people living in poverty. In…

In November 2014,  All Together in Dignity  will organize a seminar on its governance.  Five workshops are being organized during 2014 to help determine the content of this seminar. Each workshop  brings together 15 to 20 people, including people who face poverty on a daily basis. Participants will be reflecting critically on ATD’s governance practices from 1988 to 2012. The whole process will be based on the experience and practice of former Head of ATD's International Leadership Team, Eugen Brand, who was member of the General Secretariat from 1988 to 1993 and Director General from 1999 to 2012.  The goal is to…

  "I almost got tears in my eyes when Jacob was making these comments... he doesn't want anyone else to experience what he has gone through and is empathetic towards others in his same situation." It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon as I walked slowly through the neighborhood of Ocean Hill getting ready for the Street Library I helped with this summer as an intern. Some of the women were chattering away and making the most of the weather. An old man was wearing a look of boredom as he sat on the benches among his friends. A small group of children were already…

“Participation and the Practice of Rights (PPR) takes a pioneering approach to the practice of rights;  it puts the excluded and  marginalised in charge” Inez McCormack, Trade Unionist, Human Rights Activist and Founder of PPR Established in 2006, PPR specialises in socio-economic rights. PPR places them at the service of the most disadvantaged groups and supports these groups to make real change on the ground. To make these changes lasting, PPR also focuses on ensuring the active and meaningful participation of excluded groups in government decision making processes which affect their lives. This approach which involves organising, evidence gathering, strategy building,…