1995 Conference on Hunger and Poverty
The International Land Coalition (formerly the Popular Coalition to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty) was a direct outcome of the 1995 Conference on Hunger and Poverty convened by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Brussels in 1995. You are encouraged to examine the core document of the Conference, including the Plan of Action which sets out the main tasks of the Coalition.
1995 Conference on Hunger and Poverty - November
Discussion Paper 1: Empowerment of the Poor
Discussion Paper 2: Technology Generation and Diffusion
Discussion Paper 3: Combatting Environmental Degradation
Discussion Paper 4: Investing in the Poor to Prevent Emergencies
From the Conference on Hunger and Poverty:
Improved access to productive resources by the poor is a crucial element of their empowerment. It is not an event, but a process, subject to constant change and constraints. To be successful, it requires:
extensive beneficiary participation in design and management, preferably done by institutions close to the population (such as local government); and
As much as access to productive resources, the poor need increased access to decision-making. This goes beyond the usual participation in projects.. Empowerment implies the ability of the population, in particular the least privileged segment of society, to participate in the decisions that affect its livelihood. Empowerment requires structures that provide for participation by the poor and the hungry in decision-making and resource allocation, especially at the local level.
All this will necessitate important changes by the State. The latter needs to create an enabling environment, conducive to the creation and scaling up of civil-society organizations. It also needs to create structures of participatory local governance, where the poor and the hungry are involved in the decisions that affect them. On the side of civil-society organizations, this will require a willingness to scale up, to develop structures and procedures that allow for effective interaction with the State, as well as for improved accountability to the poor and hungry that they represent. This will require democratic and professional management, processes of internal learning, openness to constructive dialogue, and a willingness to work with the State. Only then will true partnerships between the public and the associative sector be possible, leveraging and multiplying the resources available to eradicate hunger and poverty
