Human Rights Council: presented reports on the eradication of poverty and economic justice
During the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteurs on extreme poverty and human rights, Elena Carolina Díaz Galán and Olivier De Shutter, presented the reports “The Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth” and “The manufacturing of poverty”, respectively.
Within the report “The manufacturing of poverty”, Olivier De Schutter argues that poverty is not an unavoidable consequence of economic forces, rather, it is created through political and economic choices. The report begins by explaining that the SDG of ending poverty by 2030 is unlikely to be achieved, with the international poverty line, strongly underestimating the true scale of poverty.
Furthermore, the report shows how inequality is a central driver of poverty, with wealth and income being increasingly concentrated. Indeed, high inequality reduces social mobility, increases intergenerational poverty, weakens democracy and fuels political instability.
The report continues by identifying three complimentary strategies that governments need to implement in order to eradicate poverty: post-market distribution (with progressive taxation, universal social protection, etc), more inclusive markets (with decent wages, strong labour rights, etc) and pre-market social investment (with early childhood development, education, nutrition, etc).
The report “The Roadmap for Eradicating Poverty Beyond Growth” is a 50-page addendum providing a detailed policy roadmap following the previous report. It identified six policy pillars and over 60 policy measures. The six pillars are: transform economic systems, labour and care, universal basic services and social protection, ecological justice, reforming the international economic order, and democratic governance.
Together, the reports argue that poverty is fundamentally a consequence of institutional and economic structures. Rather than treating economic growth as the primary route out of poverty, governments should pursue policies that directly reduce inequality, strengthen social protection, democratize economic decision-making, and operate within environmental limits.