Elizabeth Sanchez Vegas

The education about our basic rights presents an unobstructed vision of a human rights’ approach to poverty reduction and Democracy, a vision that encompasses accountability and empowering people as actors for their own development.

Poverty reduction, healthy Democracies and human rights as a way of life are not 3 projects, but 3 mutually and interdependent reinforcing approaches to the same project.

Without Human Rights there is no Democracy, without human rights there is poverty and poverty is the result of lack of Democracy and Human Rights.

Less Democracy represents less human rights and more poverty. More poverty and more ignorance push democracies around the world, and specially in Latin America, towards dictatorial regimes.

We could define poverty as non-fulfilment of any kind of human rights and the defining feature of a poor person is that she/he has very restricted opportunities to pursue her well-being and to trust or to understand what Democracy means.

The human right to live in dignity, free from want, is a fundamental right, and is also essential to the realization of all other human rights, rights that are universal, indivisible, interconnected and interdependent.

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice in a democratic society where human rights are present.