The Polish Onbudsman Jan Kochanowski (Rzecznik Praw Obiwatelskych – Commissionner for Citizens Rights) has decided to give his patronage to the events which will take place in Poland. He recently wrote to all local authorities in Poland to invite them to join the international day mobilisation. All events will be listed on a special website

www.przeciw-ubostwu.rpo.gov.pl

Among them:

Warsaw – 12 October Conference « Social entrepreneurship as a way to fight poverty and to strengthen local development » organised by a network of social organisation (WRZOS - Wspólnota Robocza Związków Organizacji Socjalnych ) and the Institute of buclic law (Instytut Spraw Publicznych) - www.wrzos.org.pl

Warsaw – 17 October Seventh Convention of the Movement against social powerlessness organised by the office of the Polish Onbudsman Jan Kochanowski. This Convention will meet at the Polish Parliament Building (Sejm). The theme of the meeting will be : how to fight poverty through early age education.

Kielce – 17 October The President of the Town of Kielce will inaugurate a replica of the stone of the Human Rights Plaza in Paris. Many NGOs will take part to the event and all citizens will be invited to join in. Before this event a conference on poverty issues will take place, and the participants will be invited to march to the location of the new stone. Late afternoon, NGOs committed against poverty will present their projects on a central square of the city.

Berlin - 12 to 17 October A few Polish groups (a theater group for elderly people, a young music band, pupils of a High School) will take part to the Art Festival « Art against poverty » which will take place in Berlin, Germany

Poland and Eastern Europe – 17 October or around Poland is one of 12 countries in Europe which will organize debates on development cooperation and the Millennium Development Goals on the International Day for the Eradiction of Poverty. The debates will be organized within the joint UNDP and the European Commission project. The debate in Poland will take place within the cycle of 12 conferences organized in the new member states of the European Union. The purpose of the debates is to raise public awareness on development and to summarize achievement of the MDGs at their mid-point between year 2000 and 2015. This initiative also aims at promoting the European Development Days 2007. The debate will be carried out by journalists, national and European parliamentarians, as well as government and non-governmental organizations representatives.