Thank you for coming together to reaffirm the essential connection between poverty eradication and decent work.

You cannot wipe out poverty without jobs. This understanding is at the heart of the Millennium Declaration. It also reflects the concerns and priorities of people. I have heard it time and again in my travels around the world. People do not say: “Give me charity.” They do not ask: “Where are my handouts?” They say: “We want jobs. We want to be productive. We want the tools to build our own future.” At its essence, this is a call for human dignity — the dignity and respect that comes from decent work.

This has been a clear message of the national and thematic consultations on the post-2015 agenda. You are here to help make sure this core concern of people is echoed in policies as we accelerate efforts to achieve the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) by 2015 — and as we elaborate our common development agenda for the years to come.

Available at: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/87794/how-to-fight-poverty-make-jobs-a-priority-not-an-afterthought