Date of release : 10-06-2005

Policy area : Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs

Event : 4th European Meeting of People experiencing poverty, Brussels, 10-11 June 2005

The European meetings of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion are not a substitute for the work of the many organisations and networks that exist to defend the interests of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion.   It is rather recognition at the level of the Presidency of the EU of:

1) The right of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion to have their ‘voice’ heard and an illustration of the importance of their engagement with structured networks that facilitate their involvement in the decision making processes that shape society:

• People have a right to have their voice heard.  Part of the experience of being poor and facing social exclusion is that often you are denied this right.  These meetings seek to create a culture, at all levels, where this right of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion is defended.
• While each individual has the right to be heard, effective engagement with systems and institutions requires collective inputs based on shared analysis of the problems needing to be addressed.  These meetings provide an opportunity for people experiencing poverty and social exclusion to exchange experience in relation to effective ways to ensure their participation in collective organisation.
• The meetings are not about creating a new organisation but rather the meetings should be a catalyst for all the actors involved in the meeting to reflect on how best they can ensure the engagement of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion in a structured way in their work.  The delegates to the meeting are also challenged to develop their capacity to further contribute within appropriate organisations and structures.

2) The importance of hearing directly the experiences, concerns and hopes of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion:

• More than 68 million people live facing poverty and social exclusion in the EU countries.  While the limited numbers of people who can attend such a European meeting means that they can not be representative of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion as a whole, they never the less will present a picture of the key issues and concerns that are facing so many people who live in the EU Member States.
• Having such a picture of the issues and concerns that face so many people in the EU Member States is an important input and resource for all actors involved in the meetings (or indeed all who read the reports of the meetings) and provides a ‘reality check’ against which the priorities and actions of their own organisations and institutions could be judged.
• In this regard the follow up of the issues and concerns raised in the meetings are the responsibility of all the organisations and institutions involved with the meeting.  It is up to the representatives of the varies actors and to the delegates to see if within their institution or organisation responses can be made which attempt to address  the concerns and hopes expressed by the delegates at the meeting.