By Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai
The writer is Chairman, World Forum for Peace & Justice.
NEW YORK | 17 October 2025 (IDN) — The 33rd commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP 2025) on October 17, 2025, in the ECOSOC Chamber at UN Headquarters in New York City. The event was jointly organised by ATD Fourth World, the UN Department of Economic & Social Affairs, and the International Committee for October 17. (ATD stands for All Together in Dignity.)
The observance of IDEP can be traced back to October 17, 1987, when over 100,000 people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence, and hunger.
On March 31, 1993, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/47/196, officially designating October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, to be observed annually beginning in 1993. Since then, the day has sought to build understanding and awareness of the urgency to eradicate poverty worldwide.
Voices for Dignity
Joseph Wresinski, President of ATD and host of the 33rd commemoration, once said: “Poverty is the worst scourge ever created by human beings; it is up to human beings to end it.”
The Director-General of UNESCO noted: “Poverty robs the poor of their human dignity.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in his 2025 message, emphasised: “Too often, people living in poverty are blamed, stigmatised, and pushed into the shadows. … Poverty is not a personal failure; it is a systemic failure — a denial of dignity and human rights.”
Nelson Mandela echoed this truth in 2005: “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right — the right to dignity and a decent life. As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”
Faith, Justice, and Compassion
The Qur’an does not view poverty as a shameful condition, but as a human reality that society must address with compassion, justice, and active support. The eradication of poverty is embedded in the Qur’anic vision of social justice, with verses emphasising care for the poor and fair distribution of wealth: “And in their wealth, there is a recognised right — for the needy and the deprived.” (Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:19)
“Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense? That is the one who repulses the orphan and does not encourage the feeding of the poor.” (Surah Al-Ma’un 107:1–3)
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: “He is not a believer whose stomach is filled while the neighbour to his side goes hungry.” (Sunan al-Kubra)
The Prophet’s wisdom reminds us that poverty can lead a person to despair or disbelief — underscoring its deep psychological and spiritual toll.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rightly observed: “If Muslim countries would only give Zakat to poor countries, the world would probably not be poor.” He further noted that 21 per cent of the population of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) lives at the poverty level, and that if Muslims paid their Zakat, no Muslim country would suffer poverty.
Zakat, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is not merely charity but a religious duty and a means of wealth purification.
From Commemoration to Commitment
The 33rd IDEP should not remain a symbolic date. For many, it feels like just another cycle of speeches and pledges, while lives continue to be lost to hunger, preventable disease, and economic neglect.
According to The Guardian, a Lancet study found nearly 55,000 preschool children in Gaza are acutely malnourished. The World Food Program reported on May 12, 2025, that 470,000 people in Gaza face catastrophic hunger (IPC Phase 5) and that the entire population is experiencing acute food insecurity. The report also warned that 71,000 children and 17,000 mothers urgently need treatment for acute malnutrition.
Following the October 9, 2025, ceasefire agreement—signed by President Trump, President Erdoğan, the Amir of Qatar, and the President of Egypt in Sharm el-Sheikh—aid trucks carrying food, medicine, and fuel were finally allowed into Gaza.
Moral Imperative and Global Inequality
The eradication of poverty should be the theme not just of one day, but of every day. Never before have so many suffered amid such liberty and luxury for the few. The wealth of single individuals now exceeds that of many nations. While citizens of some African countries starve, others in affluent nations suffer from overconsumption. Such contrasts are morally indefensible.
The United Nations is uniquely positioned to confront these inequalities. It brings together all nations on equal footing — the poorest and the richest alike share one vote in the General Assembly.
Too often, progress is measured in quantitative benchmarks — GDP ratios, vaccination rates, literacy, life expectancy. While useful, these metrics must not obscure the true measure of human progress: acts of compassion, humility, courage, benevolence, magnanimity, and justice.
Accountability and Action
How many more commemorations do we need? How many more tears must be shed before action outweighs words? Why have the world’s most powerful nations failed to respond to the gravity of poverty? These are not rhetorical questions — they demand accountability.
It is not enough for world leaders to meet and agree to meet again. The poor cannot wait. The world does not need another commemoration; it needs commitment with consequences, policies with teeth, and compassion with urgency.
Despite trillions spent globally on military, technology, and economic growth, over 700 million people still lack food, shelter, healthcare, and dignity. The issue is not a shortage of resources — it is a shortage of will.
What Can Be Done
- Eliminate poverty as a moral obligation, ensuring every person’s right to health, housing, food, and a clean environment.
- Redistribute wealth through fair taxation and global financial reform.
- Cancel or restructure debt for developing nations strangled by interest payments.
- Invest in local economies, education, and healthcare— not just aid.
- Empower the poor as agents of change, not passive recipients of charity.
- Enforce corporate accountability to prevent exploitation of labour and resources.
- Commit rich countries to provide at least 1% of their GDP for humanitarian assistance.
- Require poor nations to curb corruption, impose spending discipline, uphold the rule of law, and ensure independent judiciaries.
Let us hope that those in power finally begin to listen — or be held accountable by those who can no longer afford to wait. [IDN-InDepthNews]
Image: Affairs Cloud