Following in the footsteps of Abbé Pierre, who was involved in drafting Article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Emmaus International will take the floor at the UN during its 39th session of the Human Rights Council on 20 September in Geneva
© Jean-Marc FERRE
After four days debating and constructing collective actions to fight poverty and exclusion at its Forum of Alternatives in Geneva between 17 and 20 September, Emmaus International will make use of its consultative status within the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
For the first time since 1993, the movement will use its right to speak at the UN headquarters in Geneva during the 39th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC). Our president, Patrick Atohoun, will take the floor to make the voice of Emmaus heard and to draw attention to its struggles.
His speech will serve as a reminder to political, economic and social decision makers of the need to take into account the alternatives led by the most excluded when drawing up, implementing and assessing public policy.
Emmaus International will also organise a side event at the UN headquarters in Geneva, to which the media and UN delegations from all over the world will be invited.
The central topic of this side event will be the alternatives implemented by Emmaus groups and how these are already functioning as drivers in the fight against the structural causes of poverty. It will be a discussion of the actions carried out by Emmaus groups all over the world, and the impact of these actions in terms of sustainable social transformation on a local, regional or national level. This debate will also focus on the obstacles that our groups face, and will be a chance for the movement to share its proposals for helping to build a fairer world.
70 years after Abbé Pierre helped to write Article 29 of the Declaration of Human Rights in Geneva, Emmaus International’s presence at the United Nations is a powerfully symbolic gesture.
We are taking the floor to ensure that the voices of the voiceless and invisible are heard at the highest human rights bodies.
