Human rights and extreme poverty A/RES/67/164 constitute a threat to the right to life, its immediate alleviation and eventual eradication must remain a high priority for the international community, Stressing that respect for all human rights, which are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, is of crucial importance for all policies and programmes to fight extreme poverty, Reaffirming that democracy, development and the full and effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms are interdependent and mutually reinforcing and contribute to the eradication of extreme poverty, Reaffirms that extreme poverty and exclusion from society constitute a 1. violation of human dignity and that urgent national and international action is therefore required to eliminate them; Also reaffirms that it is essential for States to foster participation by the 2. poorest people in the decision-making process in the societies in which they live, in the promotion of human rights and in efforts to combat extreme poverty and that it is essential for people living in and affected by poverty and in vulnerable or marginalized groups or situations to be empowered to organize themselves and to participate in all aspects of political, economic, social and cultural life, in particular the planning and implementation of policies that affect them, thus enabling them to become genuine partners in development; Emphasizes that extreme poverty is a major issue to be addressed by 3. Governments, civil society, community-based social organizations and the United Nations system, including international financial institutions, and in this context reaffirms that political commitment is a prerequisite for the eradication of poverty; Reaffirms that the existence of widespread extreme poverty inhibits the 4. full and effective enjoyment of human rights and renders democracy and popular participation fragile; Recognizes the need to promote respect for human rights and 5. fundamental freedoms in order to address the most pressing social needs of people living in poverty, including through the design and development of appropriate mechanisms to strengthen and consolidate democratic institutions and governance; Reaffirms the commitments contained in the United Nations Millennium 6. Declaration, 14 in particular the commitments to spare no effort to fight against extreme poverty and to achieve development and poverty eradication, including the commitment to halve, by 2015, the proportion of the world’s people whose income is less than one United States dollar a day and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger; Also reaffirms the commitment made at the 2005 World Summit to 7. eradicate poverty and promote sustained economic growth, sustainable development and global prosperity for all, including women and girls; 15 8. Further reaffirms the commitment made at the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals to accelerating progress in order to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by 2015; 16 _______________ 14 Resolution 55/2. See resolution 60/1. 16 See resolution 65/1. 15 3/5