December 10 was Human Rights Day.

The most pressing human rights issue facing our world today is in my view pov- erty. Extreme poverty threatens people's right to life itself and makes impossible the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms essential to a humane way of life.

The fact is that nearly 24,000 people die every day because of extreme poverty and the resulting lack of access to nutrition, clean drinking water and basic medical care. The next hour will claim another 1,000 lives.