Joseph Wresinski (12 February 1917 – 14 February 1988) was a French priest and humanitarian activist who was born in

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

and died in

Suresnes Suresnes () is a commune in the western inner suburbs of Paris, France. Located in Hauts-de-Seine, from the centre of Paris, it had a population of 49,482 as of 2020. Suresnes borders the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, ...

Biography

Born to immigrant parents, Wresinski grew up in poverty and experienced social exclusion. He established major landmarks throughout his life in the fight against the worst forms of poverty, in collaboration with the very poor themselves and other partners. He also developed a blueprint for a civilisation without exclusion based on his work in the field of human activity, a civilisation with the contributions of all people, and for the benefit of all. Wresinski was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1946. Consequently, in 1956, he was assigned by his bishop to be chaplain for 250 families placed in emergency housing in Noisy-le-Grand. A year later, in response to this, he founded the International Movement ATD Fourth World in 1957. He authored the report Grande pauvreté et précarité économique et sociale ( Chronic Poverty and Lack of Basic Security), which was commissioned by the French Economic and Social Council, and later adopted by this council, of which he was a member. This report paved the way for substantial work undertaken by the

United Nations Commission on Human Rights The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the United Nations System, overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a ...

, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, and the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

. It also paved the way for the law against

social exclusion Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...

that was adopted by France in July 1998. In 1987, Fr. Wresinski launched the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October), later recognised by the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

References

Initial text of this article was excerpted from Redefining Human Rights-Based Development : The Wresinski Approach to Partnership With the Poorest UN Document ESA/DSPD/BP3 December 1999 Division for Social Policy and Development Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK 1917 births 1988 deaths People from Angers French anti-poverty advocates 20th-century French Roman Catholic priests {{France-reli-bio-stub