- ATD Fourth World

For the last three years, I have acted as a reporter on behalf of the Commission of Human 

Rights where extreme poverty is concerned. We had to go a long way in order to impose social, economical and cultural rights. To day we insist that the international financial organisations take into account human rights.

We still have a long way to go before his chapter will finally be closed. We have now five annual reporters. Each report that is transmitted to the Commission of Human Rights shows the growing importance of and impact regarding of diplomacy. Around the table of the Commission of Human Rights we have to pass through the diplomats intermediaries. The reports will allow the essential question to be asked: what does the status of the international financial institutions mean and how could we propose to them a alternative and a new direction.

I would very much like to link what we are doing to how the International Movement ATD Fourth World has inspired the Commission of Human  Rights concerning social, economic and cultural rights. The pillar of Bretton Woods continues to develop and answer in a systematic way that it has nothing to do with the concept of human rights. The World Bank sometimes works much better than other institutions of the UN when matters of poverty are concerned, but without cohesive working methods. The text of Bretton Wood does not include the inalienable character of human rights. This is a flaw on which Europe could  finally play a very important diplomatic and social part.

Mr Van Damme has presented a very lively report from workshop Number l. “What new legal    instruments will be necessary in order to eradicate great poverty in Europe?”

Every year the Commission of Human Rights in Geneva asks the question whether or not a new complementary international instrument is useful. The position of the United States is very firm concerning this question: They are opposed to the creation of a new instrument. We have to decide whether we continue to fight or whether we try to obtain revisions which may be  less spectacular than a unique text; but the effects could be more important at the international level.

Jacques Rabier, ATD Quart Monde Europe

The Council of Europe’s Social Charter was revised in 1996. The International Movement ATD Fourth World is especially interested in it since it contains very bold assertions for the fight against poverty and social exclusion. Unfortunately some countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium have not signed this revised Charter.

M. Van Damme

In Belgium, the file for the ratification of the revised Charter is suspended. In comparison, all the other institutions have ratified the text, the federal level included.

Article 30 of the Charter is a really interesting instrument to use. All the more so now that the E.U. has proposed a methodology of cooperation. On common objectives each government will establish reports that will be communicated to the Union and to the member states. These reports will also be evaluated by people living in real poverty. We can find here the whole application of Article 30. So there is no fundamental reason which would prevent a country of the Union ratifying Article 30 when ratifying the revised Charter. There exists a paradox because many more states of the east have revised the charter  than countries of the Union.

Mr Gérard Fonteneau, representing the European confederation of the Union has spoken about  the importance of restoring the political role. I really think that this is perhaps the most important relationship which has to be renewed in order to effectively promote the solidarity in our more developed countries.

Moreover, do not the public service unions have an important role to play where the flexibility of the system is concerned?

The privatized public service in the list of European directives is normally represented by postal services, the services of telecommunications and transports etc. Outside Europe, the IMF and the World Bank want to privatize  the public services as well, but for them these represent first of all the health services and education. All these modifications have dangerous consequences for the poorest countries. Education and health which are basic economic and social rights, have moved backwards. For instance the Congo has many difficulties in providing a basic education. The IMF has imposed measures of adjustment which risk weakening education to a great extent. It is important to prevent the erosion of these rights in countries which have already reached a democratic system that is close to our system

Mrs Lizin.

The International Movement ATD Fourth World promotes the idea of creating an international agreement: a text which brings together all the common objectives and is very clearly defined. It should be respected and applied by the United Nations as well as by the financial and economical institutions.

Various attempts have been made in order to write such a text. One such project established by the Italian Ambassador in New York has been rejected by some English-speaking countries. Not a single text has ever been successful. After various fruitless attempts, the Sub-Commission of Human Rights has opted for a project of “guiding principals”. This time the American veto has not been imposed on this new suggestion, since it was not a matter of a text containing any enforcement, but only a text guiding the actions of the states in some way. The next report which I shall be submitting in April to the Commission of Human rights will take into consideration this idea of guidelines.  I do hope that we shall gradually come to introduce these guidelines for the rights to nutrition  and development. At the moment human rights are not included as a component of Bretton Woods. Why should they not be incorporated?  The international financial institutions who are imposing programs  such as PRSP or PRGF on the governments, should be obliged to make sure that these programs are not affecting the safeguarding of fundamental human rights: education, health etc. An advance like this would in fact already be extremely important.

I have written two small amendments to the simple statue which we shall try to introduce into the channels. We should like to make the various visions on international rights coincide. It is not an easy task, but it could be a way to lead the project to a successful conclusion.

Gilda Farell, chief of the division of social cohesion of the European Council

I would like to intervene on the report produced by workshop No 4. In Europe, we could perhaps come back to the question of illegal immigration. We should consider migrants as a vehicle for the cooperation with their states of origin. Instead of sending people back without any identification papers using military force, we should think about how we could give them the skills which would enable them to remain in their own states. The NGO who are defending the rights of refugees, of displaced peoples, deserve space and support in this sense.  When immigration is used in a intelligent way, it could become a important element for cooperation and development with the poorest countries.

Mrs Lizin

The IOM, the international organization for migration, is thinking some what in this way concerning programs regarding “diasporas”. The IOM and the Belgian government are overseeing a budget for the Great lakes region in Africa.

We should really call on ministers and secretaries of state for development with regard to these phenomena, since work on such initiatives is suspended for the first 25 prioritised countries; among them we do not find Afghanistan. It is not possible to include material help for the Afghan women into the budget which is too fixed in the development framework. It would be a good thing to adapt these in order to permit a better practical flexibility.

What is more, the decisions taken at Tempere have frankly never been put into action. This is a great deception after the beautiful declarations that were pronounced by the chief of states at the summit. The concept of a common policy regarding asylum is very far away from any kind of realization. After having failed in all the Belgian procedures and afraid of expulsion, the unlucky are becoming illegal. When finally they fail at Sangatte, they try hopelessly to gain entry to England in unbelievable conditions. Each country has its own thinking about asylum policy. Tightening national border controls for immigration  automatically has consequences for neighboring countries. A person expelled from Belgium, will go to the Netherlands or to France by any possible means. Certain countries recommend tighter controls of  national borders as soon as voices are heard regarding the danger of an influx of foreigners.

In spite of the fact that numerous reports and recommendations have been produced by the Italian and German parliaments, nothing has been put in action, save some periodic regulations when the “pot is really boiling over”. This empirical procedure is quite inhuman.

We should challenge ourselves to see this question objectively. It is the same for the problem of social protection expenses by which all European countries are confronted.

Mr Fonteneau

In the agreements of Cotonu, Article 13 has the title: “migration”. It speaks about the problem of immigration in three dimensions: to adjust movements with adapted policies of cooperation and development, gain equality of treatment for people coming from countries ACP, fight against the illegal networks exploiting migrants.

We, as a [trade]union, are very much interested in this article. The Commission has admitted that no measures are foreseen for the application of this article. The NGO, the unions and the associative circles should repeatedly intervene together around the European Union trying to initiate its application. I know dozens and dozens of students working on their thesis’s who are experts on this pointed subject, waiting without doing anything. They cannot find any work and cannot return to their country. This is a an enormous human waste.

Mrs Lizin   

From this point of view the Belgian problem would necessitate another entire working day. It is necessary to know that when you as a foreigner are asking for the status of a student, you are automatically excluded from naturalisation. We are in front of the methods utilised by the parties of the extreme right who are going against the opening of mentalities.

The major problem in Europe, when speaking about poverty is, immigration – wanted or not wanted. This is a subject of society and the subject of  religious relations. This subject is driving us to what we should do in the ADC (?), from now on to the end of the decade, unless we are able to express everything that has been said here in front of the ones taking political decisions. They are simply afraid of racism and dare not confront it. As long as this is not clearly exposed we shall continue to turn round and round on the question of immigration.

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I also note the fear of governments to have an open policy where questions of immigration are concerned, for fear of racism. The only answers governments can give is the quasi closing of the borders and the millions spent on regulation or expulsion to their countries of origin or to neighboring countries.  Repressive measures are taken against all acts of racism. We have been developing a beautiful arsenal of laws in order to punish it, but I cannot see any positive campaign in favor of the foreigners welcome, in favor of the difference and the richness of ethnic groups.

Mrs Lizin

Last week the IOM started a campaign on exactly this subject in Belgium in order to try to explain the phenomena of immigration through the intermediary of a person or a family.

To understand how families with the experience of violence have decided to leave their houses, their countries for protection. I do not know what will be the response to this campaign, but the IOM works together with HCR, the High Commission of refugees and wants to disseminate it throughout Europe.

In workshop No 5, “How develop ‘participatory indicators’ in the fight against poverty in Europe?” Mrs Fran Bennett, reporter, identifies real problems associated with the indicators. She shows the interests which represent these indicators and the prudence which has to be observed when using them. I hope to introduce them little by little into international structures.

Europe has made much effort and has achieved a work of quality. The indicators are on the agenda as well as poverty. In Europe the categories of the poorest are not only constituted by migrant populations but they are confronted with specific risks. In order to relate to the preceding report of workshop No 3 on legal and illegal migration, I insist on saying that action becomes a necessity more and more.

We have to go on with the eradication of poverty in Europe and throughout the world: it is important to do everything possible, in order to put into action the millennium declaration of the United Nations, such as it is.

Mrs Moraene Roberts 

Many governments are turning to the fight against poverty and are taking into consideration everything which is going well. They are approaching the question from the point of view of work, of employment and are ignoring everything which is accomplished by people without employment within their families, within their social surroundings etc. Many children are working daily until 6 p.m. put they are not paid like workers. We forget all the achievements of people living in poverty such as grand mothers who look after their grand children, some times up to five children at the same time. The daily tasks of mothers are not being taken into account, as well as their difficult working conditions. 

There is a second point I wish to approach: It is the importance of participation in the policies on the fight against poverty. It is an essential factor of protection. Initiatives in the fight against poverty should not be imposed on people who live in poverty, otherwise they making their workload even heavier in their daily lives. Governments are taking decisions regarding work. If poor people do participate in the these programs, they risk loosing their principal sources of income (informal employment) or to have to accept work which is even more difficult.

We should avoid repeating the errors made in the past: The more poverty is becoming heavier and is increasing, the more you will need the help of services, first of all services for children etc. All the social service departments see that the number of children taken into care is increasing. Extreme situations are driving parents to protect their children and they have to entrust them to social organizations. This is a horrible situation for many parents; because they have to consider the perspective of adoption.

If we want to integrate new texts into the legislation, the international level included, in order to fight against poverty, these texts must insist that families should be supported in order to stay together, united. Children must be able to stay with their family as long as possible.

Mrs Lizin

To conclude this debate, I wish to thank you all for your participation. I thank also the reporters, M. Vandamme, Mrs Jouen, M. Join-Lambert et Mrs Bennett for the difficult but brilliant work they have accomplished.

Mr Meillan from the High Commission of Human right of the United Nations is taking part as a speaker when I shall present the report on poverty in front of the Commission of Human rights in Geneva. Together we hope that it will be able to change the status of the financial institutions.

I would also say to our Belgian friends that the forum of PNUD on “alliance of cities against poverty” will take place from 10 to 12 April. In the cause of decentralization, NGO networks at the level of the towns, cities and communities is really fundamental. Without denying the importance of the very important measures taken at the international level, development at the level of towns, cities and communities is the only real method to reach the populations and to gain a participation at local level.

The forum will unite the representatives of rich and poor towns throughout the world: mothers of families, governors from Africa, Latin America will take part. We shall present the actions against poverty started by the cities of Anvers, le Louvière, Liège, Lyon, Geneva, Rome etc. This forum will be an occasion to make numerous contacts. You are cordially invited.

I thank you.