On 26 February, the Strategy course of the Management BSc Degree at Católica Porto Business School held a meeting-debate on "Strategy and Poverty". The event brought together experts from different areas of intervention and was open to the community.
The session began with a speech by the pro-rector of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Isabel Braga da Cruz, who spoke about "The role of academia in building a fairer society". Isabel Braga da Cruz emphasised that the eradication of poverty, one of humanity's greatest challenges, requires multi-sectoral actions, involving everyone from the social sciences to the exact sciences, from the productive sector to higher education.
"Higher education intervenes on several levels: as well as generating knowledge and influencing society, it has a responsibility to train and empower not only young people, but all those seeking lifelong learning".
He also emphasised that universities play an essential role in education and skills development, research, community involvement and establishing global partnerships. "The collaboration of Higher Education Institutions in the eradication of poverty is not optional, but a moral requirement", she said, emphasising that Universidade Católica Portuguesa is ranked 4th in the world in the SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Effective Institutions Rankings by Times Higher Education, a reflection of its commitment in this area. Isabel Braga da Cruz added that the initiatives promoted by the Universidade Católica Portuguesa are based on three pillars: Teaching, Research and Innovation, and University Social Responsibility.
The coordinator of the European Projects and Policies Unit at EAPN Portugal/European Anti-Poverty Network, Paula Cruz, followed up with the talk on "The role of the European Union in combating poverty". Paula Cruz emphasised the growing importance of the fight against poverty at European level, highlighting fundamental concepts such as partnership work, local development, equality and access to rights. She also drew attention to the persistent negative discourse regarding people living in poverty, emphasising the need for a change in narrative.
The debate culminated in a panel discussion on "Strategies to combat poverty - from national vision and practice to local vision and action". Moderated by Raquel Campos Franco, professor at Católica Porto Business School, Sandra Araújo, coordinator of the National Strategy to Combat Poverty, Fernando Paulo, councillor for Education and Social Cohesion at Porto City Council, and Bárbara Barros, president of the Porto Food Bank, took part.
"It's not just the business world that formulates strategies, the social sector also has to do so", emphasised Raquel Campos Franco. During the debate, Sandra Araújo presented the national approach to combating poverty, while Fernando Paulo and Bárbara Barros shared local perspectives and initiatives, from Porto City Council and the Porto Food Bank, respectively.
This is an initiative organised under the protocol between the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto and EAPN / European Anti-Poverty Network in Portugal, an organisation with which UCP collaborates and is a partner. The event emphasised the importance of academic, business and social involvement in designing effective strategies to eradicate poverty, promoting a fairer and more inclusive future.
