Montenegro

UN Agencies in Montenegro commemorated the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Podgorica, October 17 2007

UN Agencies in Montenegro commemorated the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Today in Podgorica, the United Nations Organizations in Montenegro (FAO, IOM, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF and WHO) held a press conference to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.  One of the main aims of commemoration on 17th October is to make the voice of the poor to be heard.  In this regard, after the official opening by the Heads of UN agencies in Montenegro, a 17-minute documentary, ‘Five Tales,’ has been shown addressing some poverty issues in Montenegro. The documentary was directed by famous Montenegrin film maker Mr. Nikola Vukčević.

The official theme proposed by the United Nations for the year 2007 is "People living in poverty as agents of change: 20th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty", and hundreds of events are planned for the day in all parts of the world.

 

 

 

Mr. Garret Tankosić Kelly, UNDP Resident Representative a.i./UN Interagency Focal Point in Montenegro said that every country in the world and in the region was talking about the poverty today. “This day is marked in the calendar of the global development not to inflict blame but to allow the voices of the poor to be heard and to elevate the eradication of the poverty to the top of the global agenda.  It’s part of the ongoing global and regional dialogue on the challenges of poverty”, said Mr. Tankosić Kelly.
 
“Just because one country features economic growth does not mean it is also achieving the poverty reduction unless the profits from that growth are targeted to raise standards. Seeking to reduce poverty is not about growth and profit only - just it’s about equal access to quality education, health services, and freedom to choose.”, Mr. Tankosić Kelly emphasized.

Ms. Dušica Živković, Head of IOM Office in Montenegro used the opportunity to inform the public about the IOM's related activities in the country. «Within its mandate,  the IOM offers assistance to different marginalized groups such as illegal immigrants, human trafficking victims, Roma. At this moment a project is being implemented with an aim to satisfy some of the basic needs of elderly Roma. The activities within this projects involve organized access to legal, social and health care assistance, as well as equipping and supplying of three clubs in Podgorica, Nikšić and Bar. The project also provides material assistance – food, hygiene items and fire wood for 668 beneficiaries», Ms. Živković said.

Ms. Noala Skinner, Representative of UNICEF in Montenegro emphasized that children living in poverty experience deprivation of the material, spiritual and emotional resources needed to survive, develop and thrive, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, achieve their full potential or participate as full and equal members of society. “Almost 30 per cent of children in Montenegro grow up below or close to the poverty line (PRSP 2003),” said Ms. Skinner. “Poverty increases to 49 per cent for refugee and displaced children and 57% for Roma, Ashkaelia and Egyptian children.The overall goal of UNICEF's programme of cooperation with the Government of Montenegro is to ensure that children, particularly those who live in poverty and are socially excluded, enjoy and exercise their rights”, Ms. Skinner concluded.

Mr. Serge Ducasse, UNHCR Representative in Montenegro said: “The poor among the poor: poverty is not only the inheritage to generations born in poorest communities… Poverty can also be dramatic and devastating result of conflicts and destruction, forcing thousands of people of all levels of society to flee, to leave all their possessions, their friends, sometimes their families, to start up a new life from scratch, in a new country, in a new environment, under new laws. For those refugees and displaced persons, poverty is more than lack of material resources, it is too often also the lack of proper status and corresponding documents which are essential to get access to basic rights.”

 

 

Mr. Miodrag Dragišić, UNDP Montenegro Social Inclusion Team Leader reminded the present media representatives of some facts and statistics regarding poverty in Montenegro:

The Government’s official statistics prepared in 2003 by the Institute for Strategic Studies and Prognoses (ISSP) shows that - 12.2% of the population of Montenegro is poor.

The highest poverty rate is among Roma, Askali and Egyptian population (RAE) - 52.3%, slightly below 40% among refugees and displaced persons, and the smallest one is among domestic population (9.6%). Still, the majority of the poor in Montenegro are residents (72.5%). According to the same research the unemployment rate among Roma was 43,3%.

Same surveys show that geographically, the most vulnerable are the inhabitants of the North, where the poverty rate is above 19.3% and where 45% of the poor live.

In Montenegro, the poverty rate is largest within the vulnerable groups that include employees who lost their jobs, elderly people with fixed income and especially vulnerable groups such as: children, women (especially Roma and single mothers), refugees and displaced persons, and Roma population.

Also, one third of population is sensitive to the changes in the economic environment, and they are aconomically vilnerable. Measured through consumption of 10% of the poorest and of 10% of those at top of consumption scale, the inequality in Montenegrin society is the greatest in the region.

“It has become clear that poverty is manifested not just through insufficient income and resources needed to secure a sustainable existence; hunger and malnourishment; but also through limited, or no access to quality health, education and other basic services; lack of freedom of choice as well as lack of energy and a degraded environment; etc.”, said Mr. Dragišić in conclusion.

 *   *   *

The '''International Day for the Eradication of Poverty''' is celebrated every year on October 17 throughout the world. It was officially recognised by the United Nations in 1992, but the first commemoration of the event took place in 1987, when people around the world came together to commemorate the signing of the International Declaration of Human Rights and to affirm that extreme poverty is one of the world violations of these rights

Joint UN Media Advisory - Poverty Day
Zajednička UN Najava za medije - Dan borbe protiv siromaštva