16 October 2007
Representatives of civil society, development sector and government will
lock horns and debate issues related to poverty and suitable solutions at the
National Development Agency's Poverty Conference co-sponsored by the South
African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
The purpose of the conference is to provide a national platform for poor
communities, civil society organisations and government with an opportunity to
engage with poverty related issues and come up with a plan of action.
In line with the theme of attacking poverty from the grassroots, the format
of the conference will be such that grassroots people present to government and
the above said stakeholders on issues of poverty in their communities.
Government and the development sector will be given an opportunity to
respond.
"In spite of the positive economic growth experienced since the dawn of
democracy in 1994, the most visible challenge facing South Africa today remains
poverty and inequalities. Our role as the NDA is to continuously put these
issues on the national agenda and create platforms at which affected
communities at grass roots level can engage with state policy makers,
businesses and the civil society sector to practically find ways of addressing
poverty in the country.
The conference is an ideal platform to engage in dialogue between all the
stakeholders to look at poverty from the perspective of grassroots communities
in order to support their practical day to day initiatives to end poverty",
said Godfrey Mokate, Chief Executive Officer of the NDA.
The partners, UNDP and the SAHRC, felt that the focus of the conference on
providing a platform for constructive engagement and dialogue with the poor
themselves is innovative and has the potential of generating breakthrough ideas
on poverty policies. The two partners also felt that the plan of action that
will be developed after the conference will inform national anti-poverty policy
and strategies which will be implemented by various stakeholders in government
and non-governmental sector such as business and civil society.
"The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is pleased to co-host the
national conference on "Fighting Poverty from the Grassroots" in collaboration
with the NDA and the UNDP. Poverty alleviation is one of the strategic focus
areas for the Commission and this is demonstrated by some of the programmes and
activities within the Commission. For example, the Research and Documentation
Programme monitors the implementation of economic and social rights as a way of
contributing towards the reduction of poverty in the country.
On the other hand, the Education and Training Programme conducts human
rights awareness programmes in rural communities, especially in previously
disadvantaged communities to encourage the people to access their rights. In
addition, the Legal Services Programme received complaints of alleged human
rights violations, many of which deal with issues such as equality and access
to services. To that effect, the objectives of the conference fall within the
mandate of the SAHRC to promote, protect and monitor the observance of human
rights in South Africa," said Advocate Tseliso Thipanyane, Chief Executive
Officer of the SAHRC.
One of SAHRC's goals is to provide a platform for constructive engagement
and dialogue with poor communities and the SAHRC is confident that the
conference will provide them with an opportunity to advance this mandate. This
is more so that the SAHRC is well situated to give a picture of human rights
violations, which are most prevalent in poverty-ridden communities.
Within the context of the current United Nations Development Assistance
Framework (UNDAF) 2007/10, UNDP South Africa focuses its partnership with the
government on governance and capacity development activities that support pro-
poor growth and build capacity to deliver quality basic social services,
particularly to the most vulnerable and marginalised groups. In this context,
UNDP aims to promote and facilitate the development of knowledge, experience
and resource networks that build capacity for pro-poor growth and human
development.
"The Grassroots Poverty Conference is one such initiative. It aims to give
much more voice to the perspectives of the poor through the expected
comprehensive participation of community members from poor and marginalised
communities as lead speakers, presenters and discussants," said Dr Isaac
Chivore of the UNDP.
NDA and her partners recognise that successful development requires
comprehensive, multifaceted, and properly integrated processes. Most important
are the inputs from people most affected by the scourge of poverty. This
approach of the conference is well aligned with people centred development and
could be used in future as a best practice model.
The statement was issued by:
Makgodu Tsehloane
Marketing and Communications Development
Tel: 011 718 5532
Cell: 083 444 4114
On behalf of:
Prof Peter Ewang
Director: Research and Development, NDA
Tel: 011 718 5656
Cell: 083 246 9839
Mr Vincent Moaga
Media Relations, SAHRC
Tel: 011 482 8300
Cell: 073 562 9866
Dr Isaac Chivore
Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP
Tel: 012 354 8028
Cell: 082 414 7103
Editor's notes:
1. The National Development Agency (NDA) is a statutory body established by
an Act of Parliament (Act No. 108 of 1998), to grant funds to organisations
that conduct developmental activities in relation to poverty eradication.
2. The SAHRC is a national institution established to entrench
constitutional democracy through the promotion and protection of human rights
by:
* addressing human rights violations and seeking effective redress for such
violations
* monitoring and assessing the observance of human rights
* raising awareness of human rights issues
* educating and training on human rights.
3. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nation's
(UN) global development organization with a normative global mission as a
pro-poor development agency. In South Africa the UNDP is committed to support
the government in promoting the achievement of South Africa's Vision 2014, the
Millennium Development Goals and beyond.
Enquiries:
Zanele Makhathini
NDA Internal Communications Officer
Tel: 011 718 5590
Cell: 083 477 1050
Fax: 01) 718 5582
E-mail: zanelem@nda.org.za
Issued by: National Development Agency
16 October 2007
