The European Meeting of People experiencing Poverty takes place this year on 19-20 November 2015 in Brussels as a consultation with people experiencing poverty to gather their input on policies to foster social convergence in Europe and to strengthen the participation of people experiencing poverty in policies that affect them. Delegations of people experiencing poverty from 30 countries in Europe exchange with EU officials and other policy makers. It is expected that the outcomes of this Year’s meeting will feed into the Annual Convention on Poverty and Social Exclusion that is likely to take place early 2016.
In addition to this consultation, it is also envisaged that this year’s meeting will provide a more open space for the delegations of people experiencing poverty to share their stories on how they experience poverty, what they do to combat it and what support they expect from authorities. The aim behind this session is to acknowledge and give validation for the expertise and work that people experiencing poverty contribute to achieve social inclusion. It aims to create a space for mutual exchange and learning and to develop solidarity between people and communities experiencing diverse forms of poverty within Europe.
The European Meeting of People Experiencing Poverty is organized by the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) with the support of the European Commission, the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the EAPN Fund.
Read more on this year’s Meeting here
See the programme here
Photo: 2013 Meeting of People experiencing Poverty, Portuguese delegation © Rebecca Lee for EAPN.
