- ATD Fourth World

“17 October is one day to say that the poverty we experience is totally unacceptable. This stone will say this every day of the year. And we will know we helped to put it there.” (Danny H., Dublin)

A Commemorative Stone has been unveiled in Dublin on 17 October 2008, the United Nations-recognised International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, close to the Famine Memorial on Custom House Quay. The stone itself is the fruit of collaboration between the communities and organisations represented by the 17 October Group, Dublin City Council and the Dublin Docklands Development Authority.

Since the original Commemorative Stone in Honour of the Victims of Hunger, Ignorance and Violence was laid on the Parvis des Droits de l’Homme et des Libertés in Paris on 17 October 1987, more than thirty similar commemorative stones have already been laid around the world, from Rizal Park (Manila), through Manega (Burkina Faso) and the European Parliament (Brussels) to the Gardens of the United Nations (New York). Each one bears the words of Joseph Wresinski, the founder of the International Movement ATD Fourth World: “Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty.”

The message engraved on the Commemorative Stone is inspired by the individuals, families and communities who struggle against poverty every day and who, through their countless gestures of friendship and mutual support, are the first to defend human rights in their own lives and in the lives of others.

To write a message of support, as people in more than 150 countries around the world have already done, visit the site dedicated to 17 October.