Trócaire at 40 – conclusions from 40th anniversary conference

by | Apr 6, 2013 | Justice Archive, Trócaire, ZZ_All

Click on link to see full address by Frank La Rue to the recent staff celebration in Maynooth for Trócaire’s 40th anniversary.

Frank La Rue from Guatemala is the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection for the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression

40th anniversary conference

In March 2013, Trócaire hosted its annual conference at the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin. Delegates discussed the need for a new unifying global framework for ending poverty as the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) draws near.

The goals fall far short as a response to increasing inequality and multiple sustainability crises. Agreement on a new framework to replace the MDGs is urgently needed – but what should it contain? Who will decide? The participation of those experiencing poverty needs to be central to this if a new framework is to be accountable. But are we really listening to their voices?

In preparation for its 40th anniversary, Trócaire, with its partners, conducted in-depth interviews with 240 people in six countries living in extreme poverty to hear their views on what needs to be in a new framework. This year-long global listening exercise offers a unique insight into what it means to be poor today and where the focus of the efforts of the international community needs to be in the coming years to work towards a more just and sustainable world.

“I need to participate in decisions that affect my life – and not just told what to do” – Female research participant, Malawi

This event involved a combination of plenary sessions with high level speakers and parallel sessions with Trócaire partners on key questions relevant to the post-2015 framework: How can it be participatory and accountable? How can it be environmentally sustainable? What constructive role can the private sector play in delivering it?

“I could have gone to school to study and then would have a real job. But being born in a poor, remote, tribal family, I was deprived this”  – Male research participant, India

Speakers at the event included:

  • Eamon Gilmore, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade
  • Mohan Munashinghe (Keynote, former Vice-Chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;  Professor of Sustainable Development, University of Manchester
  • Jan Vandemoortele, Independent Researcher, Co-architect of the Millennium Development Goals
  • Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression
  • Bishop Kevin Dowling, Bishop of Rustenburg, South Africa
  • Bishop Pierre-André Dumas, Bishop of Anse-à-Veau et Miragoâne, Haiti

Read our blog on the key themes of the conference

More about Trócaire 40-year anniversary