The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, has issued the following declaration:
"On the 26th anniversary of the United Nations international day for the eradication of poverty, I wish to express my appreciation to those who are striving to free the world from an unacceptable plague for our time, which is still marked by planetary imbalances.
The commitments made with the Millennium Declaration, and the respect for sustainable development goals approved by the UN Assembly in September 2015, have brought some significant improvements to the lives of millions of people.
Global poverty continues to decrease; more and more individuals have been given access to water sources; a greater number of children attend primary schools; lastly, a series of investments aimed at fighting malaria, aids and tuberculosis have saved thousands of men and women.
However, this does not alter the context of a challenge that concerns the future destiny of humanity, with plagues both old and new.
Thus, it is essential that every country intensify its efforts to end malnutrition, social exclusion and disease, contributing to give better prospects to those who are more exposed to epidemics and disasters, to the effects of climate change, to the weakest, to women and children.
Within Europe itself, inequalities have deepened and the social gap has widened.
In Italy, both cases of absolute poverty and cases of relative poverty have increased.
This is why it is essential, at all levels, to carry on with policies that support those who live in poverty or are greatly exposed to it. Interventions must be able to translate into an investment in people, their skills and their training, in order to promote individual growth and prevent poverty from resulting in increased social marginality”.
