A Human Rights Conceptualisation of Poverty

One of Joseph Wresinski’s most important legacies is, I believe, the growing influence of what I call a human rights conceptualisation of poverty, which has underpinned the work of ATD Fourth World. Such a conceptualisation has been promoted by the UN, very much
influenced by Father Wresinski as well as Amartya Sen. Although the UK lags behind France in this regard, there is today growing interest among anti-poverty organisations in the relevance and potential of human rights for their work. Moreover, the newly established official Equality and Human Rights Commission is showing interest in exploring how it can apply its human rights remit to the issue of poverty.