Strengthening United Nations coordination on poverty reduction programmes and pilot projects

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities.

As the ILO's Declaration of Philadelphia notes: "poverty anywhere constitutes a danger to prosperity everywhere". The ILO promotes poverty reduction at the policy level, and in practice, through the Decent Work Agenda. The ILO approach to poverty relies on four pillars: (1) Employment – the principal route out of poverty is through work and income; (2) Rights – without them, people will not be empowered to escape from poverty; (3) Social protection – it safeguards income and underpins health; and (4) Dialogue – the participation of employers and workers.

Organizations in shaping government policy for poverty reduction ensures that it is appropriate and sustainable. Together, these support coherent and gender-sensitive poverty reduction strategies.