Why?
Why?
NO POVERTY:
WHY IT MATTERS
The COVID-19 pandemic will push an estimated 71 million additional people into extreme poverty
What's the Goal here?
To end poverty in all its forms everywhere by 2030.
Why?
In 2015, more than 700 million people, or 10 percent of the world population, lived in extreme poverty, struggling to fulfill the most basic needs like health, education, and access to water and sanitation, to name a few.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic is reversing the trend of poverty reduction with tens of millions of people at 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 suggested that 6 percent
of the global population would still be living in extreme poverty In
2030, missing the target of ending poverty.
Developing countries will face devastating social and economic
crisis over the months and years to come, with the pandemic pushing
millions of workers into unemployment, underemployment, and
working poverty.
Having a job also does not guarantee a decent living. In fact, 7.1 percent of
employed workers and their families worldwide lived in extreme poverty in 2019, a positive decline compared to 2010, but the number is expected to rise in light of the long-term consequences of the pandemic.
Why is there so much poverty in the world??
Why should I care about other people’s economic situation???
There are many reasons, but in short, as human beings, our well-being is linked to each other. Growing inequality is detrimental to economic growth and undermines social cohesion, increasing political and social tensions and, in some circumstances, driving instability and conflicts.
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 innovation and critical thinking are encouraged at all ages to support transformational change in people’s lives and communities.
Governments can help create an enabling environment to generate pro-productive 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 inclusive and contributes to poverty reduction. It can promote economic opportunities for the poor.
The contribution of science to ending poverty has been significant. 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.
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 percent of
the world’s population – about 4 billion people – did
not benefit from any form of social protection in 2016.
Only 22 percent of unemployed workers
were covered by
unemployment benefits.
Poverty has many dimensions, but its causes include unemployment, social exclusion, and high vulnerability of certain
populations to disasters,
diseases, and other
phenomena that prevent
them from being
productive.
Why?
Why?
