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Contact:
Chris Satney
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 – A revised Social Policy for Human Development
in St. Lucia suggests that poverty is possibly the most critical social issue
facing the country at this time. This comes as St. Lucia joins the rest of the
world in observing International Day for the Eradication of Poverty this coming
Friday.
Social conditions and realities in Saint Lucia today are said to be the product
of a range of economic, social, cultural and environmental factors and forces.
The last Country Poverty Assessment determined that 28.8 percent of the
population survive below the poverty line, while 1.6 percent lived under
conditions of extreme poverty or indigence.
A comprehensive National Poverty Reduction Strategy is currently being developed
by the Ministry of Social Transformation. In the framework of the policy,
poverty is defined as a situation where individuals, households and communities
do not have access to basic social services.
Implementation of the collective interventions identified by the strategy will
contribute to mainstreaming of vulnerable populations, significant reductions in
the level of poverty on the island and a general improvement in the quality of
life of citizens. The formulation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy is scheduled
for completion by December 30, 2008.
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been marked annually since
1993, when the UN General Assembly designated the day to promote awareness of
the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries, particularly in
developing countries, as a major social development priority.
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