Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

IFSW General Meeting, 25-27 July 2000 Montréal, Québec, Canada

Whereas Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that
"(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in our out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protections".

And Whereas structural impoverishment, pauperization, and social and economic exclusion are increasing, in both the global South and the global North among indigenous and minority populations, women, children, refugees, immigrants, displaced persons, rural workers without land, urban workers, older persons, and too many others;

And Whereas such impoverishment, pauperization, and exclusion are contrary to basic, universal human rights and social work values, are economically unsound, and ignore the interdependence between the sectors of society nationally and internationally;

And Whereas there is a growing international movement of organizations variously known as a movement of excluded people, service users, homeless, and the poor;

We, the delegates to the General Meeting of the International Federation of Social Workers, meeting in Montréal, Québec, Canada on this 27th day of July, 2000,
(1) recognize the economic and structural factors which restrict opportunities for inclusion;
(2) express our profound concern about these situations that put in danger the lives of millions of people throughout the world;
(3) welcome the growth of representative bodies of this movement; and
(4) call on our constituent member organizations to support, encourage, and work closely in solidarity with these organizations in the struggle to bring basic change in their relationship to the rest of society and ensure their inclusion in the planning, performance, and evaluation of social welfare and social work policy and practice.