The Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, an international program hosted by UN, has released two reports, Making the Law Work for Everyone Volume I and Making the Law Work for Everyone Volume II that call on governments to make legal empowerment a key pillar of the anti-poverty agenda. The reports found that the majority of the world's people are excluded from the rule of law because the majority of poor people live and work in the "informal sector" and are therefore locked out of recognized legal protections and economic benefits of the formal sector.

The Canadian Parliament has endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by a majority vote after Canada, along with the U.S., Australia and New Zealand voted against it in the U.N. in September 2007. The Declaration affirms the human rights of indigenous people based on indigenous origin or identity and affirms indigenous people's right to self-determination. The Conservative party has been opposed to the Declaration and voted against the endorsement. Read more on the Amnesty International Canada site and in an article on the site, Indian Country, "Endorsing their rights".

New research by Jack Hicks, a social research consultant living in Iqaluit, Nunavut, tracks how suicide trends in the Arctic correlate with increased colonialism and modernization in the Arctic. Historically, suicide in the Arctic was uncommon, but the suicide rate dramatically increased when national governments forced Inuit people in Alaska, Nunavut, and Greenland off the land and into larger communities. Read more in a CBC article, "Research tracks Inuit modernization with suicide, offers hope for improvement" or you can listen to a interview with Jack Hicks on the CBC show, As it Happens. You can also download a copy of the journal, Indigenous Affairs (in PDF) with Jack Hicks' paper, "The Social Determinants of Elevated Rates of Suicide Among Inuit Youth," or you can download a copy of his slide presentation (in PDF).

The Geneva based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions has released a report entitled, Fair Play for Housing Rights: Mega-Events, Olympic Games and Housing Rights (in PDF), about the displacement of over two million people in the last 20 years in seven different Olympic cities. Read an article on the Tyee about the evictions and homeless in Vancouver as a result of the 2010 Olympics, "More Homeless than Athletes in 2010."

Throughout the month of April, Brazil's landless and homeless movements have been uniting for land and homes. Landless workers involved with the MST (Landless Workers Movement) in rural areas have been occupying land and government land reform offices. In the cities, homeless families and the MSTC (Downtown Homeless People's Movement) have been occupying empty buildings and setting up tent cities. In Sao Paulo, the city threatened to evict 460 families who have been squatting an abandoned clothing factory, the Prestes Maia (photos) for the past five years. After the MSTC and Prestes Maia families camped outside of Sao Paulo's city hall, all levels of government agreed to suspend the eviction and work on moving people into permanent housing.

As Israel marked Holocaust Remembrance Day, hundreds of Holocaust survivors, students, and members of youth movements protested against the state's neglect of Holocaust survivors, many who are living in poverty (from www.haaretz.com - "Hundreds protest at Knesset over state neglect of Holocaust survivors"). According to an article on BBC, "Holocaust survivors 'in poverty'," 40% of survivors in Israel, around 170,000 people, are living below the poverty line. Most of those living in poverty have immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the last ten years. Survivors from Germany, and other western European countries who arrived in Israel after WWII are entitled to receive a pension from their former countries as well support from Jewish organizations. Listen to a story on NPR, "Israel Struggles to Care for Holocaust Survivors." (Audio)

This year's Nobel Peace Price went to the founder of the microcredit bank, Muhammad Yunus. An article in The Dominion newspaper, "Microcredit and Women's Poverty" critiques microcredit for not doing anything to change the structural conditions of poverty. The article argues that microcredit fits nicely into the idea that poverty is an individual problem, therefore shifting the responsibility of poverty from governments onto the backs of poor women.

The United Nations has adopted the first Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The convention strives to end discrimination based on ability and includes any type of disbility from physical to mental illness. It covers civil and political rights, accessibility, participation and inclusion, the right to education, health, work and employment and social protection. For more information read a CBC story, "UN adopts landmark bill for disabled rights."

Some churches in Australian are calling on a campaign to make indigenous poverty history in Australia. Indigenous leaders in Australia have had to continually remind Australian Christians that the poverty in indigenous communities has been largely ignored for the past two hundred years. The National Council of Churches in Australia is calling on Australians to remember the injustices done against indigenous people; recognize and implement the changes recommended by indigenous people and national investigations such as Royal Commissions into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the "Stolen Generations" report; and rectify the poverty itself.

According to an article, "GPs 'fob off poor with sedatives,' (in PDF)" people in the poorer areas of Dublin are more likely to be prescribed potentially addictive sedatives to cope with daily life than those in richer areas. Patients in poorer areas of town are routinely prescribed benzodiazepines - a group of drugs that includes Valium that are used to treat anxiety and insomnia - instead of being referred to social or mental health services.

The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution to protect the rights of aboriginal peoples throughout the world. This includes their rights to land and resources as well as a requirement that they are treated with respect and allowed to be different and independent. Canada was one of two countries that voted against the resolution saying that it was too ambiguous on areas of land, resources and self-government. Many aboriginal leaders and rights activists were disappointed by Canada's position, especially because they had helped carry the resolution throughout many stages of its development. For more information read the CNEWS story on the resolution.

Only Canada and Russia voted against a Declaration on Rights of Indigenous People. By a 30-2 vote, the council approved the declaration that said indigenous people should be free from discrimination and that they have a right "to consider themselves different and to be respected as such." Read a Dogwood Initiative story, a Canoe News (CNews) article, The Declaration reads:

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples says indigenous peoples have the right to the full enjoyment, as a collective or as individuals, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights law. Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity. Indigenous peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions, while retaining their rights to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the State.

Julian Beever does 3 dimensional illusionary drawings in chalk. One of his drawings, a forty foot long one, depicts a Make Poverty History world. See the Make Poverty History world from the front view, and the same picture from a side view.

A major study by the Medical Journal entitled "The Lancet" shows that indigenous communities in every world country have poor health in comparison with 'non-indigenous' populations. Evidence of this is found in disproportionately high infant mortality rates, loss of land and population, poverty, unemployment, drug and alcohal abuse, and homicide. The study underlines that the concept of indigenous communities can be complicated, in particular in Africa and India. As causes for the poor health of indigenous communities, the study points to caste distinctions, colonialism, and the administration of Aid funding from the UN. More information is available online through a BBC news story.

Many of Japan's homeless construct their own transportable houses. Thet are simple, elegant and inspired by the zen Buddhist tradition. They have begun to be appreciated as art, being photographed and put into gallery exhibits. For more information see the Archinect website and the Treehugger.com story about Japanese homeless architecture.

In December 1995, the General Assembly proclaimed the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006). In December 1996, the General Assembly declared the theme for the Decade as a whole to be "Eradicating poverty is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind." The theme for the International Day for Poverty Eradication 2005 is "Achieving the Millennium Development Goals - empowering the poorest of the poor." The UN's website has information, logos, posters and downloadable pamphlets, the Make Poverty History website and the October 17, 2005 website for events planned worldwide. Download the National Anti-Poverty Organization's (NAPO) 6 page 'October 17 Kit' (in PDF) for background information and objectives for the day as well as some suggestions on activities.

"A Home For All? - homelessness policy challenges for Labour’s Third Term, shows that despite warm words, Government housing policy is still completely failing to provide affordable properties for people struggling to move out of hostels. Without this new and affordable housing, homelessness will continue to be a blight on society in the 21st century." The report, which offers seven clear policy challenges to the Government for its third term in office, highlights the frustration of hostel residents and key workers. Read the Salvation Army's report summary (in PDF) or download the entire A Home For All? 20 page report (in PDF).

September 10 is the opening day of the United Nations 2005 World Summit, where leaders and delegates will evaluate the progress made toward the Millennium Development Goals set for 2015. These goals include reducing poverty, hunger, illiteracy, discrimination against women and environmental degradation throughout the world during the next ten years. Canada’s campaign to Make Poverty History calls for more and better aid to developing countries, fair trade, cancellation of debt repayment in developing countries, and an end to child poverty in Canada. The White Band Day site has information on their Wake up to Poverty campaign. For more information of the 2005 Summit see the United Nations site.

Amnesty International released a report critical of Australia's mandatory detention of immigrants and refugees. The report recommends that Australia urgently make comprehensive amendments to the policy to ensure that no person is detained in violation of their human rights. More information about this policy is available on Amnesty Internation's website in a section entitled "What's Happening to Refuggees?"

Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) is an organization established by a group of women with disabilities who felt that their needs and concerns were not being acknowledged or addressed within the broader disability sector, or the women's sector in Australia. The aim of WWDA is to be a national voice for the needs and rights of women with disabilities and a national force to improve the lives and life chances of women with disabilities. The WWDA web site is an accessible site with reports, newsletters, mailing lists, government policies, discussion groups, updates on issues affecting women with disabilities, poetry and stories written by women with disabilities, and more.