Implementation of General Assembly resolution 64/215 on legal empowerment of the poor and eradication of poverty

The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 64/215. It finds that expanding access to justice and the rule of law is important for poverty reduction and the achievement of internationally agreed development goals. Legal empowerment of the poor requires improvements in the administration of justice and expansion of identity and birth registration, as well as the repeal of laws that impede the poor from exercising their rights. Key legal instruments for poverty reduction include pro-poor property rights and access to land and assets, employment policy and regulatory frameworks that protect labour and increase employment, a fair, inclusive and socially responsible private sector, and quality education and training that target vulnerable populations in particular. Furthermore, international cooperation efforts should be cognizant of and conducive to the legal empowerment
of the poor. Finally, national and local contexts, including traditional or informal dispute resolution mechanisms, must be considered in any reforms aimed at empowering people living in poverty.