On 24 August 2006, the United Nations’ Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights adopted the draft Guiding Principles entitled “Extreme Poverty and Human Rights: The Rights of the Poor.”

On 17 November 2006 in Geneva, the Human Rights Council (HRC) requested that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights “circulate the draft guiding principles in order to obtain the views of (…) non-governmental organizations, especially those in which people in situations of extreme poverty express their views.” (A/HRC/RES/2/2).

In response to the request of the HRC, ATD organized consultations with people living in extreme poverty, as well as the NGOs working alongside them in Lille (France), Cusco (Peru), Kielce (Poland), Dakar (Senegal) and Bangkok (Thailand). There were also exchanges with other members of ATD Fourth World, particularly in Geneva (Switzerland), and with the organizations that are members of Forum for Overcoming Extreme Poverty.

Based on the information obtained from these consultations, ATD Fourth World published its report “Dignity in the Face of Extreme Poverty.” The report states,

All the consultations showed that the draft Guiding Principles reflected the experiences, hopes and thirst for dignity of individuals living in extreme poverty… It is for this reason ATD Fourth World is asking the Human Rights Commission to follow up on these draft Guidelines, which constitute the results of twenty years of study within human rights bodies and, in particular, consultations with people who have experienced extreme poverty.