Shaukat Ali
Eradicating extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030 is a pivotal goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Between 2015 and 2018, global poverty continued its historical decline, with the poverty rate falling from 10.1 per cent in 2015 to 8.6 per cent in 2018. Nowcasts suggest that owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global poverty rate increased sharply from 8.3 per cent in 2019 to 9.2 per cent in 2020, representing the first increase in extreme poverty since 1998 and the largest increase since 1990 and setting back poverty reduction by about three years. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic reversed the steady progress of poverty reduction over the past 25 years. This unprecedented reversal is being further exacerbated by rising inflation and the impacts of the war in Ukraine. It is estimated that these combined crises will lead to an additional 75 million–95 million people living in extreme poverty in 2022, compared with pre-pandemic projections. End poverty by 2030.Why? In 2015, more than 700 mil- lion people, or 10 per cent of the world population, lived in extreme poverty, strug- gling to fulfil the most basic needs like health, education, and access to water and sanitation, to name a few. However, the COVID-19 pan- demic is reversing the trend of poverty reduction with tens of millions of peoplein risk of being pushed back into extreme poverty- people living on less than $1.90/day – causing the first increase in global poverty in more than 20 years. Even before COVID-19, baseline projections sug- gested that 6 per cent of the global population would still be living in extreme poverty in 2030, missing the target of ending poverty. Developing countries will face a devastating social and economic crisis over the months and years to © UN Photo / Eskinder Debebe come, with the pan- demic pushing millions of workers into unemploy- ment, underemployment and working poverty. Having a job also does not guarantee a decent living. In fact, 7.1 per cent of employed workers and their families world- wide lived in extreme poverty in 2019, a posi- tive decline compared to 2010, but the number is expected to rise in light of the long-term conse- quences of the pandemic. Why is there so much poverty in the world? Poverty has many dimen- sions, but its causes include unemploy- ment, social exclusion, and high vulnerability of certain populations to disasters, diseases and other phenomena which prevent them from being productive. Why should I care about other people’s economic situation? There are many reasons, but in short, because as human beings, our well- being is linked to each other. 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. Why is social protection so important? The COVID-19 pandemic will have both immediate and long-term economic consequences for people across the globe. Strong social protection systems are essential for mitigating the effects and preventing many people from falling into poverty. Nevertheless, 55 per cent of the world’s population – about 4 bil- lion people – did not bene- fit from any form of social protection in 2016. Only 22 per cent of unemployed workers were covered by unemployment benefits. So what can I do about it? Your active engagement in policymaking can make a difference in addressing poverty. It ensures that your rights are promoted and that your voice is heard, that inter- generational knowledge is shared, and that innova- tion and critical thinking are encouraged at all ages to support transforma- tional change in people’s lives and communities. Governments can help create an enabling envi- ronment to generate pro- ductive employment and job opportunities for the poor and the marginalized. The private sector has a major role to play in determining whether the growth it creates is inclu- sive and contributes to poverty reduction. It can promote economic oppor- tunities for the poor. The contribution of sci- ence to end poverty has been significant. For exam- ple, 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. * Facts and Figures * Between 2015 and 2018, global poverty continued its historical decline, with the global poverty rate falling from 10.1 per cent in 2015 to 8.6 per cent in 2018. * Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global poverty rate increased sharply from 8.3 per cent in 2019 to 9.2 per cent in 2020, rewinding progress by about three years. * This unprecedented reversal is being further exacerbated by rising inflation and the impacts of the war in Ukraine. It is estimated that these combined crises will lead to an additional 75–95 million people living in extreme poverty in 2022, compared with pre-pandemic projections. * The losses have been much higher for low-income countries, where poverty reduction has been set back by between eight and nine years. Although the poverty rate is projected to decrease to 8.7 per cent in 2021, it was still higher than the pre-pandemic level. * For the first time in two decades, the world’s share of workers living with their families below the international poverty line increased from 6.7 per cent in 2019 to 7.2 per cent in 2020, meaning that an additional 8 million workers were pushed into poverty. Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022