The share of government spending on essential services, such as education, health and social protection, is significantly higher in advanced economies than in emerging and developing economies.Many of the world’s vulnerable population groups, including the young and the elderly, remain uncovered by statutory social protection programmes. Despite the expansion of social protection during the COVID-19 crisis, over 4 billion people remain entirely unprotected.If current trends continue, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty and only one-third of countries will have halved their national poverty levels by 2030.For example, it has enabled access to safe drinking water, reduced deaths caused by water-borne diseases, and improved hygiene to reduce health risks related to unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation. The contribution of science to end poverty has been significant. It can promote economic opportunities for the poor. The private sector has a major role to play in determining whether the growth it creates is inclusive and contributes to poverty reduction. Governments can help create an enabling environment to generate pro- productive employment and job opportunities for the poor and the marginalized. It ensures that your rights are promoted and that your voice is heard, that inter-generational knowledge is shared, and that innovation and critical thinking are encouraged at all ages to support transformational change in people’s lives and communities. Your active engagement in policymaking can make a difference in addressing poverty. Yet 80 per cent of these were short-term in nature, and to achieve the Goals, countries will need to implement nationally appropriate universal and sustainble social protection systems for all. In response to the cost-of-living crisis, 105 countries and territories announced almost 350 social protection measures between February 2022 and February 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic had both immediate and long-term economic consequences for people across the globe – and despite the expansion of social protection during the COVID-19 crisis, 55 per cent of the world’s population – about 4 billion people – are entirely unprotected. Strong social protection systems are essential for mitigating the effects and preventing many people from falling into poverty. Growing inequality is detrimental to economic growth and undermines social cohesion, increas- ing political and social tensions and, in some circumstances, driving instability and conflicts. There are many reasons, but in short, because as human beings, our well- being is linked to each other.

Why should I care about other people’s economic situation? Poverty has many dimensions, but its causes include unemployment, social exclusion, and high vulnerability of certain populations to disasters, diseases and other phenomena which prevent them from being productive. This dual challenge of poverty and food security poses a critical global concern. Equally concerning is the persistent increase in food prices across a larger number of countries compared to the period from 2015 to 2019. If current patterns persist, an estimated 7% of the global population – around 575 million people – could still find themselves trapped in extreme poverty by 2030, with a significant concentration in sub-Saharan Africa.Ī shocking revelation is the resurgence of hunger levels to those last observed in 2005. This setback effectively erased approximately three years of progress in poverty alleviation. By the end of 2022, nowcasting suggested that 8.4 per cent of the world’s population, or as many as 670 million people, could still be living in extreme poverty. However, the emergence of COVID-19 marked a turning point, reversing these gains as the number of individuals living in extreme poverty increased for the first time in a generation by almost 90 million over previous predictions.Įven prior to the pandemic, the momentum of poverty reduction was slowing down. Extreme poverty, defined as surviving on less than $2.15 per person per day at 2017 purchasing power parity, has witnessed remarkable declines over recent decades. Eradicating extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030 is a pivotal goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Carla cox united against poverty