On October 17, 1987, about 100,000 people gathered on the Trocadero Plaza in Paris to honor victims of hunger, violence, and ignorance, to express their objection to the continuous existence of extreme poverty, and to call on mankind to unite to ensure the respect of human rights. On this day, a Commemorative Stone was inaugurated to bear witness to the suffering and struggles of the poorest and to affirm that extreme poverty is a violation of Human Rights. The stone, which has remained at the center of all subsequent commemorations of this day, was the idea of Father Joseph Wresinski, founder of the International Movement ATD Fourth World. Since then, on the 17th of October each year, the poorest and all those who reject extreme poverty and exclusion gather throughout the world to express their solidarity and their commitment to ensure that everyone's dignity and freedom are respected.
In 1993, the General Assembly of the United Nations decided to henceforth observe 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. All States were invited to devote the Day to presenting and promoting concrete activities on the eradication of poverty and destitution, as appropriate in their national context.
