National Poverty Conference

The Nationale Armutskonferenz (nak), or National Poverty Conference, is a German umbrella alliance of organisations, associations and initiatives working for an active policy of poverty reduction. It was founded in autumn 1991 as the German section of the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN). Its members include five of the six leading German welfare associations (Arbeiterwohlfahrt, Deutscher Caritasverband, Paritätischer Gesamtverband, Diakonisches Werk der EKD and Zentralwohlfahrtsstelle der Juden in Deutschland), the Deutscher Bundesjugendring, the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund with its affiliated trade unions, and numerous specialised associations and self-help organisations. People with lived experience of poverty and self-help groups also participate directly in the nak, contributing their perspectives and proposed solutions in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. The nak sees itself primarily as a lobbying and public-relations network. It participates in the advisory board for the German federal government's Poverty and Wealth Report, co-initiated the national awareness campaign NAPsens on poverty, and takes part in the ForTeil (Forum Teilhabe) campaign. Through specialist conferences it produces so-called "Sozialpolitische Bilanzen" (social policy balance sheets) on sub-topics such as child poverty, poverty and health, or the socio-cultural subsistence minimum (Hartz IV), and disseminates them through press conferences, several of which have been held at the Bundespressekonferenz. It also issues statements on current social debates and policy proposals. At the European level it works with the European Commission on social policy events such as the Social Policy Forum and participates in conferences and seminars of the international EAPN network. Cooperation within the nak continues at state, district and local level. Seven state poverty conferences exist (Saarland, Lower Saxony, Berlin, Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony) along with further regional alliances. Within EAPN, the nak participates in task forces against social exclusion (NAPincl.), on structural fund policy, employment policy and EU enlargement. Eight German delegates are sent to EAPN general assemblies. A partner organisation in the German-speaking abroad is the Austrian poverty network Die Armutskonferenz. Since 2006 the nak has organised annual Meetings of People with Experience of Poverty (Treffen der Menschen mit Armutserfahrung, TMA). These meetings are a platform for exchange and networking and promote the political participation of people who have experienced poverty. They aim to put the perspectives of people with lived experience at the centre and discuss them in formats such as workshops, panel discussions and talks with politicians. Topics include in-work poverty, securing children's subsistence, old-age poverty, and health and poverty. The first such meeting took place in November 2006 in Hildesheim and in subsequent years at changing locations. Since 2017, with an interruption during the Covid-19 pandemic, the meetings have been held exclusively in Berlin. The nak is led by a spokesperson and a managing director, provided by one of the member organisations for a term of office. From December 2018 the Arbeiterwohlfahrt took over this role. Predecessors were the Diakonie with spokesperson Barbara Eschen and managing director Anna-Katharina Dietrich (until 2018), the Arbeiterwohlfahrt, and the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband. The nak is a member of the Bündnis für ein menschenwürdiges Existenzminimum and the Bündnis Reichtum umverteilen. Contact is via armutskonferenz@diakonie.de and telephone 030 – 6 52 11 – 16 36.

The Nationale Armutskonferenz (nak) was founded in autumn 1991 as the German section of the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN). At the time of its founding, the primary goal was to bring the very concept of "poverty" into public and political discourse, because it was then widely believed that poverty did not really exist in Germany. Over more than 30 years, the context and demands of poverty reduction have changed. Poverty and exclusion are now documented in scientific studies with clear figures and are more than obvious in common life stories. The focus today is on making the factors that cause more and more people in Germany to fall into and remain in poverty a political issue, and on changing the framework conditions so that the poverty of the many and the wealth of the few do not grow year after year. In the past quarter-century, social legislation has changed; to move away from the welfare principle, "Fördern und Fordern" (support and demand) became a guiding idea. The nak is a network of organisations, associations and initiatives working for an active policy of poverty reduction. Besides associations, people with experience of poverty and self-help organisations participate in the nak, contributing their experiences and perspectives and showing their approaches to fighting poverty and social exclusion. The nak sees itself as a network active mainly in political lobbying and public relations. It works, for example, on the advisory board for the federal government's Poverty and Wealth Report, co-initiated the national awareness campaign NAPsens on poverty, and participates in the ForTeil (Forum Teilhabe) campaign. In specialist conferences it produces "Sozialpolitische Bilanzen" on sub-areas such as child poverty, poverty and health, or the socio-cultural subsistence minimum (Hartz IV), and disseminates them through press conferences (several times at the Bundespressekonferenz). It also issues statements on current social debates and policy proposals. At the European level it works with the European Commission on social policy events such as the Social Policy Forum and through participation in conferences and seminars of the international EAPN network. Cooperation within the nak continues at state, district and local level. Seven state poverty conferences already exist (Saarland, Lower Saxony, Berlin, Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony) and further regional alliances. At the European level (EAPN), the nak participates in its task forces against social exclusion (NAPincl.), on structural fund policy, employment policy (dealing with measures contained in the EU employment policy guidelines) and EU enlargement. Eight German delegates are sent to EAPN general assemblies. A partner organisation in the German-speaking abroad is the Austrian poverty network Die Armutskonferenz. Since 2006 the nak has organised annual Meetings of People with Experience of Poverty (Treffen der Menschen mit Armutserfahrung, TMA). The meetings are a platform for exchange and networking and promote the political participation of people who have experienced poverty. They aim to put the perspectives of people with lived experience at the centre and discuss them in various formats such as workshops, panel discussions and talks with politicians. Topics such as in-work poverty, securing children's subsistence, old-age poverty, and health and poverty are addressed. The first such meeting took place in November 2006 in Hildesheim and in subsequent years at changing locations. Since 2017, with an interruption during the Covid-19 pandemic, the meetings have been held exclusively in Berlin. The leadership of the Nationale Armutskonferenz consists of the spokesperson and the managing director. They are provided by one of the member organisations for a term of office. From December 2018 the Arbeiterwohlfahrt took over. Predecessors were the Diakonie with spokesperson Barbara Eschen and managing director Anna-Katharina Dietrich (until 2018), the Arbeiterwohlfahrt, and the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband. The nak is a member of the Bündnis für ein menschenwürdiges Existenzminimum and the Bündnis Reichtum umverteilen. The nak is the German section of the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN). Currently 31 national networks as well as grassroots groups and 18 European organisations are united in EAPN.

• 2018

  Arbeiterwohlfahrt takes over leadership (spokesperson and managing director) from December; predecessors were Diakonie with Barbara Eschen and Anna-Katharina Dietrich (until 2018), Arbeiterwohlfahrt, and Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband.

• 2017

  TMA meetings begin to be held exclusively in Berlin (with interruption during Covid-19 pandemic).

• 2006

  First Meeting of People with Experience of Poverty (TMA) held in November in Hildesheim.

• 1991

  Founded in autumn as the German section of the European Anti Poverty Network (EAPN).

Political lobbying and public relations alliance against poverty and social exclusion in Germany and Europe.

1. 1Nationale Armutskonferenz - Mitglied im Europäischen Armutsnetzwerk EAPNnationale-armutskonferenz.de
2. 2Über uns - Nationale Armutskonferenznationale-armutskonferenz.de
3. 3EAPN - Nationale Armutskonferenznationale-armutskonferenz.de
4. 4Bündnisse - Nationale Armutskonferenznationale-armutskonferenz.de
5. 5National Poverty Conferencewikidata.org
6. 6Nationale Armutskonferenzde.wikipedia.org