"Poverty is a violation of human rights"

by SiddharthNarrain

Arjun K. Sengupta, the United Nations Independent Expert on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty, visited the United States to study the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the poor. In an interview in New Delhi, the Rajya Sabha member says the system in the U.S. is so connected with corporate interests that if there is any conflict human rights are ignored. Excerpts:

You have recently been on a visit to the United States to look at conditions of extreme poverty including the condition of those affected by Hurricane Katrina. What was the scope of the enquiry and how did this visit come about?

Poverty is not a function of income only. From the human rights point of view we define poverty as a denial or violation of basic human rights because it violates your dignity. I chose the United States because that was a perfect laboratory case for me, a country that was highly developed, with a high per capita income. But the question was whether there were cases of extreme poverty in the country and why. I wrote to the U.S. Government through the U.N. Human Rights Commission.

Surprisingly the U.S. Government invited me to come and look at whether extreme poverty exists and tell them what to do about it. I accepted the invitation and went to several places. I went to New Orleans, Louisiana.

Katrina is an illustration of the proposition that the consequences of the hurricane can be traced from a lack of recognition of basic rights of people. I went to Harlem in New York, to Fort Myers in Florida where immigrant communities are located, particularly Mexican immigrants. They get paid a very small wage.

They are hired to pick oranges and tomatoes at one-third the minimum wage and have no rights whatsoever. I went to Mississippi, predominantly a black area where poverty is very stark. I went to the Appalachian areas, places of white poverty. I met representatives from the U.S. Government in Washington. The response I got from American civil society and the media was tremendous.

What exactly is your role as an independent expert on extreme poverty?

My role is to see if extreme poverty exists and what governments are doing, and whether they could have done something different to address extreme poverty. Take the U.S. example. They have 13 per cent extreme poverty, which is a large number of people.

They also have many social welfare programmes, but these do not give any benefit because there is no accountability. The basic principles of human rights of accountability, non-discrimination, and equity are ignored because the system is so connected with corporate interests so if there is any conflict these rights are ignored. Katrina affected the poor black areas the worst.

When the question of rebuilding came, money was limited. They first looked after the richer areas. We visited the worst affected, poorer areas two months after the hurricane but there was no repair work going on. So my role is to tell the U.S. Government what happened, and tell them this is the position from a human rights point of view so that they can discuss what can be done.

In your report to the U.N. on extreme poverty and human rights you suggested amending the Articles of Agreement of the World Bank and the IMF. Can you elaborate?

The IMF and the World Bank do not accept human rights as a legal right. They have not accepted that they cannot take any action that violates human rights. We are trying to ask them to consider these human rights as obligations. We are telling them that since they are institutions made up of the governments that have accepted these human rights, which binds them.

These institutions say that they are bound by the Articles of Agreement that do not talk of human rights. Now, I am saying that if this is the position, then amend the Articles of Agreement. But of late, the World Bank and the IMF have realised that as their business is development they have to amend their policies to make them consistent with human rights standards.

Do you see the UPA Government's Common Minimum Programme and recently passed laws like the National Employment Guarantee Act and the Right to Information Act as steps in the direction of tackling extreme poverty and development within the rights framework?

Absolutely. We must realise that we need specific policies that should get the highest priority. Liberalisation and markets are good instruments for certain things. I think the Common Minimum Programme recognises this and has worked out specific proposals. The Employment Guarantee Act is the best example of the recognition of a right to be employed. The Right to Information is a clear recognition of the human rights approach to development.

Did you as Chairman of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector, look at specific programmes dealing with issues related to poverty?

The Commission has worked out two bills for the unorganised informal sector that constitutes more than 92 per cent of our total labour force. We have worked out a scheme that will give minimum security to every individual, i.e. old age pension, life insurance, health facilities, etc.

We have also worked out another bill on working conditions in the unorganised sector. We are also looking at the expansion of employment that is essential for income, facilities like health and education, and for dignity of people. Simple market-based reforms will not be able to achieve this.

(Courtesy: The Hindu)