More than two hundred persons involved in anti poverty actions (mainly as a result of the anti-poverty programs) throughout the member states were brought together in June 1989 in Brussels with financial support from the Commission, organised by ESCAP.
The gathering came to the conclusion that there was a need for a liaison structure between the many anti poverty initiatives in the member states and the Community institutions in order to highlight and address the problems and realities of poverty within the development of Europe.
The gathering came to the conclusion that there was a need for a liaison structure between the many anti poverty initiatives in the member states and the Community institutions in order to highlight and address the problems and realities of poverty within the development of Europe.
To this end a provisional working group of eight persons, chaired by Hughes Feltesse (France) was appointed whose task was:
- to disseminate information on and promote the project of an “anti poverty liaison” as widely as possible within each member state with particular attention to reaching to the most marginalised
- to promote the constitution of national, regional and local anti poverty networks
- to draft the terms of reference and the statutes of a European liaison committee of voluntary anti poverty initiatives
- to prepare and organise a General Assembly of the “Liaison” which would reflect the diversity of voluntary initiatives involved in empowering the most disadvantaged.