UN: Fight Poverty through Protection of Human Rights

12 December 2006

On the occasion of December 10, the International Human Rights Day, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Serbia invited all relevant social actors, especially the state institutions, to contribute to the fight against poverty through protection and strengthening of human rights culture.

�To this end, the state can, even without engaging considerable financial means contribute to the fight against poverty, which is a cause and a consequence of human rights violations. For example, by ending discrimination, through a fair distribution of collective resources, by tackling corruption and ensuring the rule of law, conditions are created for a permanent solution of the problems of those affected by poverty, who as a rule belong to the vulnerable groups, �, states the public statement.

Lance Clark, the UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia, said that the unemployment remains the main cause of poverty in Serbia and emphasized that it strikes the socially vulnerable categories of the population, including refugees, IDPs, the Roma and disabled persons.

In his words, the poverty of IDPs and refugees in Serbia is double the poverty of domicile citizens, while the figures for handicapped persons and Roma are even more dramatic and concerning.

Of the approximately 100,000 handicapped persons in Serbia, only about 30% are employed. High levels of poverty are registered also in the rural population, and with Roma they are five to six times greater than the other poor population, said Clark. In his words, the main problem in Serbia remains the unequal access to education, primarily for Roma and handicapped children, which results in unemployment and ultimately in poverty.

Aleksandra Jovic, from the Government Team for implementation of PRSP, says that poverty assails human dignity, for it denies them the basic rights such as the right to work, dignified life or education. Although PRSP was adopted in 2003, including a series of action plans regarding the status of Roma, elderly and handicapped persons and their inclusion in society, their implementation has not started yet.