Eradication of Poverty
Imagine a single mother in a developing country, struggling to feed her children with the little she earns by working long hours in a local market. She can barely pay the rent of a precarious shack, where the rain enters through the creves and the clay floor turns into mud on rainy days. Her children often get sick due to lack of access to adequate health care, and she finds herself constantly facing the impossible dilemma of choosing between buying medicines or putting food on the table.
In an overcrowded urban area, there is a teenager who dreams of attending school, but his family cannot pay the tuition fees. He spends his days scouring mountains of garbage in search of something he can sell to help support his family. He faces the look of disdain of others as he struggles to keep the hope of a better future alive.
In a remote village in the mountains, an elderly woman lives in a clay house, isolated from the community. She survives with a minimum pension, which is barely enough to buy food and medicine. Without access to adequate transportation or nearby health care, she faces each day with courage, but the loneliness and uncertainty of tomorrow weigh on her shoulders like a stone.
These are just a few examples of how poverty manifests itself around the world. These stories highlight the urgency of acting to eradicate poverty and offer hope and opportunities to those who need it most and that is why SDG 1 exists.
● WHAT IS IT?
SDG 1 is a call to action, a promise of transformation and a global commitment to eradicate poverty in all its forms, everywhere. It is an ambitious but essential goal that aims to ensure that no one is left behind, that everyone has access to a dignified life and opportunities to prosper.
Imagine a world where everyone has access to nutritious food, drinking water, safe housing, quality education and proper health care. This is the world that SDG 1 seeks to create. It is a world where economic inequality is reduced, where the most vulnerable are protected and where everyone has the chance to realize their full potential.
However, the eradication of poverty goes far beyond simply increasing people's income. It also involves addressing the underlying causes of poverty, such as lack of access to basic resources, discrimination, unemployment, lack of education and barriers to access to essential services.
● POVERTY IN THE WORLD
The World Bank released data in 2018 that showed that about 8.6% of the world's population, or approximately 689 million people, lived in extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $1.90 per day. This number represents a significant reduction compared to previous decades, but poverty still persists as a global challenge.
In addition, poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon that goes beyond income. According to the United Nations Human Development Report 2020, about 22% of the world's population, or approximately 1.3 billion people, lived in multidimensional poverty, which means that they faced deprivation in multiple dimensions, such as education, health, basic sanitation, access to drinking water, adequate housing and food security.
Poverty is not evenly distributed throughout the world. According to the World Bank, Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most affected by extreme poverty, with more than half of the population living below the international poverty line.
Sources: World Bank - "Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020: Reversals of Fortune" and United Nations Human Development Report 2020
● ACTIONS
A powerful example of how SDG 1 is being implemented is the Bolsa Família income transfer program in Brazil. This program offers financial assistance to families in poverty, helping to ensure that they have resources for their basic needs, such as food and education. As a result, millions of people were removed from extreme poverty and had the opportunity to improve their living conditions.
In this way, all over the world there are also other actions to eradicate poverty in the world, it can be mentioned:
● Microcredit and Social Entrepreneurship: Microcredit programs provide small loans to low-income individuals to start or expand their own businesses. These social enterprises not only create employment opportunities, but also strengthen local economies and empower communities to get out of poverty.
● Education and Professional Training: Investments in quality education and professional training programs can empower individuals to acquire the skills necessary to obtain decent and well-paid jobs. This includes the expansion of access to primary and secondary education, as well as technical and vocational training programs.
● Access to Basic Services: Ensuring universal access to basic services, such as health, drinking water, sanitation and energy, is essential to improve the living conditions of people in poverty. Investments in infrastructure and effective public policies can help reduce disparities and ensure that no one is left behind.
● Sustainable Rural Development: Poverty is often more prevalent in rural areas, where people depend on subsistence agriculture to survive. Sustainable rural development initiatives, such as family farming programs, conservation of natural resources and access to fair markets, can help improve the livelihoods of rural communities and reduce poverty.
However, there is still much to be done. Poverty persists in many parts of the world, especially in marginalized rural and urban areas. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated this crisis, pushing millions of people into extreme poverty. Therefore, it is urgent that we redouble our efforts to achieve SDG 1 and ensure that no one is left behind.
We can all play a role in the realization of SDG 1. We can make donations to organizations that work to combat poverty, support policies and programs that promote social inclusion and equal opportunities, and adopt responsible consumption practices that help reduce economic inequality.
Ultimately, the eradication of poverty is a moral imperative and a fundamental condition for achieving sustainable development and a more just and equitable world for all. Together, we can turn this vision into reality and build a future where poverty is just a reminder of the past.
Signing off,
Isabelle Martin
Content Writer, AviMUN'24
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