Just as racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination should have no place in the world, “povertyism” – or negative attitudes and behaviour towards poor people - should also be illegal. 

That’s the hope of Olivier De Schutter, the UN expert working to give greater prominence to the plight of the millions of people across the globe who are living in extreme poverty. 

Together with the head of the UN’s labour agency, ILO, he also advocates for supporting low-income countries to provide social protection for their populations, such as unemployment benefits and old age pensions. 

Mr. De Schutter, whose official title is Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, was at UN Headquarters recently to present his latest report to the General Assembly. 

He told Florence Westergard from UN News’s French Language Unit why abandoning a “charity” approach to poverty is the only effective way to eradicate it.