The seeds of this day were sown on 17 October 1987, when over a 100,000 people gathered to honor the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger, at the Trocadéro in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was signed in 1948. They proclaimed that poverty is a violation of human rights and affirmed the need to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. These convictions are inscribed in a commemorative stone unveiled on this day. Since then, people of all backgrounds, beliefs and social origins have gathered annually on this day to renew their commitment and show their solidarity with the poor.
The United Nations then formally declared 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, on 22 December 1992, and invited all States to devote the Day to presenting and promoting, as appropriate in the national context, concrete activities with regard to the eradication of poverty and destitution. It further invites intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to assist States, at their request, to organize national activities for the observance of the Day, and requests the Secretary-General to take, within existing resources, the measures necessary to ensure the success of the Day's observance by the United Nations.
Building a sustainable future requires us to redouble our efforts towards eradicating extreme poverty and discrimination, and ensuring that each individual can fully exercise their human rights. The full participation of people living in poverty, particularly in decisions that affect their lives and communities, must hold centreplace of policies and strategies to build a sustainable future. We must guarantee that our planet and our societies can fulfill the needs and aspirations of everyone, not just those of a privileged few, both in the present and in the future. It is therefore apposite that all people must come together to end poverty and discrimination in order to build a sustainable future in which the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.