Chapter 1 - Preamble

Section 1 - Social & Economic Dimensions
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8

Section 2 - Conservation and Management of Resources

Section 3 - Strengthening the Role of Major Groups

Section 4 - Means of Implementation

Chapter 3: Combating Poverty

Poverty has so many causes that no one solution will solve all the problems in every country.

Each nation needs its own programme to eradicate such root causes of poverty as hunger, illiteracy, inadequate medical and child care, lack of employment and population pressures. The actions of individual governments must receive support, including financial assistance, because the struggle against poverty is the shared responsibility of all countries.

The United Nations and its member nations should make the reduction of poverty a major priority.

The aim of anti-poverty programs is to make people better able to earn a living in a sustainable way. The poor need to become more self-sufficient, rather than having to depend on foreign aid and food shipments. Economic development is needed in poor nations to provide jobs for today’s unemployed and under-employed, and for the growing work forces.

To be sustainable over the long term, development plans must deal with the conservation and protection of resources. A development policy that focuses mainly on increasing the production of goods without ensuring the sustainability of the resources on which production is based will sooner or later run into declining productivity. This could increase poverty.

One way that national governments can encourage development is to give more responsibility and resources to local groups and to women. Peoples’ organizations, women’s groups and non-governmental organizations are important sources of innovation and action at the local level. They have a proven ability to promote sustainable livelihoods.

Local people need to participate in the protection and sustainable management of natural resources. They need access to land, natural resources and enough money to become productive. They also need to share in the benefits of natural resources from their regions. Many people need more education and training, in order to become more productive. This can be achieved through community-based learning centres for sustainable development. These need to be linked, so that communities can share their expertise.

There is an urgent need for family planning in parts of the world. Women and men need the same right to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children. They need access to information, education and appropriate means to enable them to exercise this right. Governments should provide health programmes and facilities, which include women-centred, women-managed, safe and effective reproductive health care and affordable, accessible services for responsible family planning. They should provide the opportunity for all women to breast-feed fully, at least during the first four months postpartum.

Poverty-stricken nations will not be able to develop if they are burdened with huge foreign debts, are unable to finance their development, and if prices for their commodities remain low on world markets. Financial assistance needs to be provided in ways that deal with environmental concerns and maintain basic services to the poor and needy.

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