Legislating for the Poor

Human Rights Defender:

Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC)

Action:

In March 2002, SERAC convened the Legislating for the Poor Summit that focused on orienting Nigeria’s federal and state legislative processes towards tackling the conditions which create and nurture poverty. The forum provided an opportunity for federal and state lawmakers to interact with representatives of diverse sectors of society, including: leaders of community-based organizations (CBOs), the president and mobilization officer of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), members of media, labor leaders, medical professionals, clerics, members of the National Human Rights Commission and their South African counterpart, civil society groups, and the public-at-large. The summit participants deliberated for two days on the efficaciousness of poverty alleviation programs, locating the responsibilities of a democratic legislature in making human rights meaningful for the poor, developing a people-centered legislative action plan for combating poverty, and incorporating the South African perspective on human rights and poverty into Nigeria’s legislative processes.