Povertà

This chapter examines poverty as a structural social emergency and explores the role of international human rights law in addressing it. Moving beyond a purely economic understanding, poverty is analysed as a multidimensional condition involving deprivation, exclusion, vulnerability and the denial of human dignity. The chapter first reconstructs the main global legal framework, highlighting both the relevance and the limits of existing international instruments, including the UN Guiding Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, the Sustainable Development Goals and recent debates on the right to development. It then focuses on the European context, assessing the limited protection offered by the European Convention on Human Rights and the more significant contribution of the European Social Charter system, particularly Article 30 of the Revised Charter. The chapter argues that poverty should be understood not merely as a social problem, but as a human rights issue requiring binding obligations, coordinated policies and stronger mechanisms of international responsibility.