Online bulletin no. 5
THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY:
AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
“ […] eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenge facing the world
today and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development,
[…].” (United Nations resolution A/RES/64/236, Dec. 2009)
In May 2009, the Comité consultatif de lutte contre la pauvreté et
l’exclusion sociale published its sustainable development action plan. In it,
the Comité expressed its conviction that sustainable development is not
possible without fighting poverty. In this reflection, the Comité wishes to
show that the social dimension is tied as much to sustainable
development as are the economic and environmental dimensions.
A shared concern
The connections between fighting poverty and the principles of
sustainable development are clearly stated in numerous documents on
the subject. For example, the Sustainable Development Act,1 passed in
April 2006, takes into account the inseparable nature of the
environmental, social and economic dimensions of development activities.
Several of the principles set out in the Act are directly or indirectly related
to the fight against poverty, particularly the principles of equity and social
solidarity, of citizen participation and commitment and of access to
knowledge.
1. R.S.Q., chapter D-8.1.1.
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The Government Sustainable Development Strategy, published in 2007,2
gives a prominent place to the social dimension. One of the Strategy’s
nine directions3 is aimed at preventing and fighting against poverty and
social exclusion.
Although the Act to combat poverty and social exclusion4 does not use the
term “sustainable”, its preamble declares that it is based on the economic
and social development of Québec society and on the social, cultural and
economic development of all human beings.
Finally, since its work began, the Comité has affirmed, in several of its
publications, its conviction that sustainable development and the fight
against poverty must be pursued through an integrated approach. More
concretely, the Comité has emphasized that the costs associated with
poverty affect the entire population and that investments to fight poverty
are part of the solution for stimulating our collective development. The
Comité has determined that local action is the preferred way of mobilizing
stakeholders around comprehensive, integrated development for
improving the quality of life of all members of a community.
The social dimension’s place
Although the Sustainable Development Act clearly affirms the inseparable
character of the environmental, social and economic dimensions, it is
obvious that the social dimension is often handled superficially or totally
ignored. A brief survey of the sustainable development plans of several
government departments and agencies shows that the social dimension is
virtually absent, particularly where a government department or agency
does not have any explicit social mission. Several of them even specify
that the responsibilities given to them do not allow them to contribute
directly to fighting poverty or reducing inequalities. It seems, therefore,
2. GOUVERNEMENT DU QUÉBEC, Government Sustainable
Development Strategy 2008-2013, 2007, 83 p.
3. Direction 9: Prevent and Reduce Social and Economic Inequality.
4. R.S.Q., chapter L-7.
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that the economic and environmental dimensions often take precedence
in sustainable development measures and that several departments and
agencies feel that social objectives are no concern of theirs.
While it is recognized that the fight against poverty should concern society
as a whole, we find that among government departments and agencies,
only those with a social mission concern themselves with components for
reducing social and economic inequalities. Genuine integration of the
three dimensions of sustainable development has not yet been achieved,
and that will be an issue to be considered when sustainable development
plans are revised.
Future impacts of today’s decisions
A broader view shows that several measures and decisions implemented
by government departments and agencies (whether or not they have an
explicit social mission) may have future impacts on people living in
poverty.
Among the decisions made today that will affect the ability of future
generations to meet their needs, we can first examine a future-oriented
approach in the area of public transportation called Transit Oriented
Development (TOD)5. When that approach is used, gentrification6 is often
observed. The Comité is aware of the sustainable development
advantages of TOD-based urban planning and believes that it is important
to reserve a portion of the residential development of such sectors for
5. Urban development centred on public transportation that promotes
high-density residential and commercial development built around a
transportation infrastructure (train or subway) laid out to facilitate
transportation that does not involve automobiles.
6. In this context, the Comité uses the term “gentrification”, to mean the
conversion of the socioeconomic profile of a neighbourhood to reflect a
more affluent social group.
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public housing so that people living in poverty can also benefit from this
type of urbanization7.
The question of land use planning is now at a crossroads. In fact, it was
considered in various consultations surrounding work on Bill 47,
Sustainable Regional and Local Land Use Planning Act. The decisions
that will be made on land use and on the development and use of our
resources will shape Québec for the coming decades and will have
consequences on the conservation of our natural resources, such as
water, forests and agricultural zones, that will surely impact access to food
supplies and food security. It is essential that the prevention and reduction
of socioeconomic inequalities be taken into account in land use
discussions.
Moreover, land use planning strategies should systematically involve
social inclusion measures. In this area, the social aspect is sometimes put
aside in the name of respect for the environment. Consider, for example,
the development of public transportation in neighbourhoods where there
are more cars, which are also more affluent neighbourhoods. The
development of public transportation should also be ensured in less
affluent neighbourhoods so as to improve the mobility of people who are
living in poverty.
Several other realities may have a real effect on future generations.
Tuition fee increases, for example, may have a negative impact on the
higher education plans of many students. In fact, societies that have
imposed tuition fees after a period of free education have experienced a
decline in university attendance, particularly among less fortunate
students. We should recall that access to higher education is a heritage
bequeathed to future generations and children who grow up in families
with people who have university degrees have a higher likelihood of
attaining a similar level of education and having higher-paying jobs.
7. The needs of seniors and handicapped people also need to be taken
into account, particularly in public transportation, so as to downsize the
parallel paratransit system, in special needs housing and in improvements
to building accessibility.
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Conclusion
Without a doubt, sustainable development and the fight against poverty
are interdependent. The Comité is convinced that the objectives in the
Government Sustainable Development Strategy will not be achieved
unless we effectively address the inequalities and social exclusion that are
associated with them. The fight against poverty makes it possible to put
people at the core of sustainable development and seeks to provide an
adequate standard of living to the entire population. The right to an
adequate standard of living is recognized in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.
If sustainable development strategies do not take into account the current
realities of people living in poverty, their situation is likely to persist and
perhaps worsen. Alleviating poverty and inequality is certainly a way to
pass on a better world to future generations.
With less poverty, all of us stand to gain immeasurably….
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