By Fathi Aburafia The international community observes Human Rights Day every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its formal inception dates from 1950, after the Assembly passed a resolution inviting all states and interested organisations to adopt 10 December of each year to commemorate human rights. "Fighting Poverty: A matter of obligation, not charity" has been decided on by the UN as a theme for commemorating this year's event. The decision came out of recognition that poverty is a violation of human rights and that promoting human rights could alleviate poverty. A human rights approach to poverty reduction is now being recognised and implemented internationally. Such an approach links poverty reduction to questions of obligation, rather than welfare or charity, and compels policymakers to seek out and identify the most vulnerable people and implement appropriate strategies to help them escape destitution. Human rights are universal legal guarantees protecting individuals and groups against actions and omissions that interfere with fundamental freedoms, entitlements and human dignity. A human rights approach is grounded in the International Bill of Human Rights and the core human rights treaties that clearly define those rights. Among the rights guaranteed to all human beings under these treaties are the right to life, liberty and security of person, the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the right to just and favourable working conditions, the right to adequate food, housing and social security, the right to education, the right to vote and take part in the conduct of public affairs and the right to participate in cultural life. The fact that poverty persists in many parts of the world points not only to an inequitable distribution of economic, social and political opportunities, but also to a violation of human rights. Often the condition of living in poverty also affects the ability of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals, families and groups to defend their rights and responsibilities. The violation of human rights is thus both a cause and a consequence of poverty. People living in poverty are, by their condition, disempowered and excluded from society, and their capacity to secure their own rights is extremely limited by their situation. As a result, the eradication of poverty is not only a development goal, but also a central challenge for human rights, and the defence of all human rights is not only a concern of human rights activists and jurists, but also a central element of the poverty eradication process. Commemorating this day under the theme of "fighting poverty", which comes a few weeks after commemorating, on 17 October, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, reflects a deep commitment of the international organisation to one of its major goals embedded in its charter and reaffirmed in many of its instruments, treaties and conventions: "to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small." The United Nations has long been censured with regard to it implementing its worldwide agenda. Its detractors have always obviated the fact that the organisation is but an expression of the will of its members. There is also a competition of wills inside the organisation, though one hopes that goodwill prevails. Without help and commitment from all member states, the organisation's plans and endeavours will stop at mere good intentions. On this occasion of commemorating Human Rights Day and linking it to the goal of poverty eradication, states may well prove how much they can contribute to such a sublime goal as much as to such a becoming theme. * The writer is a literary critic and is currently staff at UN New York.
