Sure, I'll do that.
The Universal Periodic Review is a new peer review process via the United Nations Human Rights Council, through which states review the human rights records of other states. In February 2009 the Government of Canada was urged by the UN to address the growing gap between its international human rights obligations and the reality facing vulnerable groups in Canada.
The concerns and recommendations came from a wide range of states participating in the UPR. One central concern is that particularly in light of Canada's affluence, the persistence of extensive poverty, homelessness, and hunger constitute human rights violations that are in need of human rights responses. Accordingly, during the UPR, the UN Human Rights Council has recommended that Canada implement a national poverty eradication strategy that incorporates a human rights framework. It is not only Canada Without Poverty that believes that poverty eradication is possible; so too does a great Canadian, Louise Arbour, the former Supreme Court of Canada justice and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Combating poverty, deprivation, and exclusion is not a matter of charity, and it does not depend on how rich a country is. By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights obligation, the world will have a better chance of abolishing the scourge in our lifetime.
Thank you.