all over the world. He believed that every man or woman he met represented an opportunity in fighting poverty and he was determined that ATD Fourth World would remain open to people of all cultures, faiths and races. His appointment to France’s Economic and Social Council in 1979 was a significant step in his quest for official representation of people in extreme poverty. With France's publication of the Wresinski Report in 1987, he succeeded in gaining recognition of people in poverty as partners in society, and further, on gaining acknowledgment that poverty is a violation of human rights. It paved the way for the creation of the RMI (, a French type of social welfare aimed at people of working age who have not worked sufficient hours to enjoy contributions-based unemployment benefits), and for a law designing a framework for fighting social exclusion that was adopted by France in July 1998. International Growth ATD Fourth World has teams or active members in Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France and Reunion Island, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Ireland, Italy, the Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Luxemburg, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The International Movement ATD Fourth World strives for the voice of people living in the worst forms of poverty to be heard at the heart of international institutions, in order that their viewpoint and aspirations help to shape international policy. It holds general consultative status at the United Nations, UNICEF, UNESCO, the ILO and participatory status at the Council of Europe. This gives greater weight to its work in the human rights field and other essential issues in the fight against chronic poverty. It also maintains a permanent delegation to the European Union. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty On 17 October 1987, in the presence of 100,000 people from every social background and continent, Joseph Wresinski unveiled a commemorative stone at the Trocadero Human Rights Plaza in Paris. On this marble stone, his call is engraved: "Wherever men and women are condemned to live in poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty." The United Nations declared 17 October to be "International Day for