Global Goal #1: No Poverty

The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The Goals interconnect and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve each Goal and target by 2030. (Source)

Today we will explore Goal 1.

To end poverty in all its forms everywhere.

There are 7 targets and 12 indicators. (Source1)

What is poverty?

Absolute Poverty is complete lack of the means necessary to meet basic personal needs, such as food, clothing and shelter. (Source2)

Extreme Poverty is measured as people living on less that $1.25/day PPP. (See where your country stands (Source3))

Relative Poverty occurs when a person cannot meet a minimum level of living standards, compared to others in the same time and place. Therefore, the threshold at which relative poverty is defined varies from one country to another, or from one society to another. (Source2)

Who lives in poverty?

Currently 8% or 597 million people live in Extreme Poverty. (Source4)

70% of extremely poor people live in Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa

In some of the world’s richest countries, 30 million children are growing up poor. (Source5)

What causes it?

Poverty has many dimensions, but its causes include unemployment, social exclusion, and high vulnerability of certain population to disasters, diseases and other phenomena which prevent them from being productive. (Source5)

Why care about poverty?

Growing inequality is detrimental to economic growth and undermines social cohesion, increasing political and social tensions and, in some circumstances, driving instability and conflicts. (Source5)

What can you do about it? (Source5)

As an individual:

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 innovation and critical thinking are encouraged at all ages to support transformational change in people’s lives and communities.

As an employee:

The private sector, as an engine of economic growth, has a major role to play in determining whether the growth it creates is inclusive and hence contributes to poverty reduction.

It can promote economic opportunities for the poor, focusing on segments of the economy where most of the poor are active, namely on micro and small enterprises and those operating in the informal sector.

As a policymaker:

Governments can help create an enabling environment to generate productive employment and job opportunities for the poor and the marginalised. They can formulate strategies and fiscal policies that stimulate pro-poor growth, and reduce poverty.

But, seriously, is it possible?(Source5)

Yes!!

To end extreme poverty worldwide in 20 years, economist Jeffrey Sachs calculated that the total cost per year would be about $175 billion. This represents less than one percent of the combined income of the richest countries in the world.

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