Did you know?

On December 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document enshrining more than two dozen unalienable rights given to all people regardless of citizenship, sex, race, or religion.

One of the rights mentioned in the U.D.H.R. is the right to work. The belief that all people should have an equal opportunity to earn enough money to provide for themselves and their family. This has been a controversial right at times and is much easier promoted than actually implemented For example, how can we as a society, particularly in times of economic recession, ensure that all citizens have employment?

I bring this up because in 2005 the United Progressive Alliance of India was re-elected primarily on their promise that they would guarantee one hundred days of work for each rural adult who would perform public service manual labor. Many rural Indians perform agricultural work during the growing season and then travel to the cities to perform construction work, but the slowing of the economy has meant that those urban jobs are no longer there. Thankfully, India has provided an important safety net to ensure that families are still able to earn a wage. The work that they do ranges from water conservation projects to planting trees and building roads, all important to ensure that India continues its path of development.

While there have been criticisms of the program, ranging from its cost to its universal methods of application (meaning individual villages are not consulted on their needs but are subjected to what the national government believes they need), the 45 million Indians who were given a job because of it are surely grateful that India supports the right to work.

-Corey Cox

SOURCE: United Nations Development Programme

Oh Happy Day!!

Today is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty! This day celebrates the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Signed in 1948, on October 17 1987 over 100,000 people gathered in Paris to celebrate the important document. It proclaims that poverty is a violation of human rights and expresses the need for the international community to ensure that these most basic rights are protected. In 1992, the UN General Assembly declared October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The date is intended to be an opportunity for member states and other organizations to organize activities which will promote the eradication of poverty and destitution. Since it's inception, the participation of the poor within the celebrations has been central.

This year's theme is "From Poverty to Decent Work: Bridging the Gap." Join with The Borgen Project and others in your community to celebrate this day. Commit yourselves to the essential task of eradicating poverty.

"The campaign to make poverty history- a central moral challenge of our age- cannot remain a task for the few, it must become a calling for the many. On this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, I urge everyone to join this struggle. Together, we can make real and sufficient progress towards the end of poverty."

-Kofi Annan, an excerpt from his speech given on October 17, 2006

-Erica Stetz

SOURCE: UN