Hyderabad:The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed every year on October 17. The day is a key global event dedicated to raising awareness about the ongoing challenges of poverty worldwide.
It recognises the courage and resilience of those living in extreme poverty and calls for actions to address the root causes of inequality. Established by the United Nations in 1992, it builds on the legacy of Father Joseph Wresinski, founder of the International Movement ATD Fourth World, who first marked this day in 1987 in Paris.
Origins and Global Significance:
In 2024, the theme will continue to emphasise global solidarity and the need for inclusive policies that uplift marginalised communities and ensure equal opportunities for all.
Background
Its observance can be traced to 17 October 1987. On that day, over a hundred thousand people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948, to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger.
They proclaimed that poverty is a violation of human rights and affirmed the need to come together to ensure that these rights are respected. These convictions are inscribed in a commemorative stone unveiled on this day. Since then, people of all backgrounds, beliefs and social origins have gathered every year on October 17th to renew their commitment and show their solidarity with the poor.
Replicas of the commemorative stone have been unveiled around the world and serve as a gathering place to celebrate the Day. One such replica is located in the garden of United Nations Headquarters and is the site of the annual commemoration organised by the United Nations Secretariat in New York.
Through resolution 47/196 adopted on 22 December 1992, the General Assembly declared October 17 as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and invited all States to devote the Day to presenting and promoting, as appropriate in the national context, concrete activities with regard to the eradication of poverty and destitution.
Accelerating global actions for a world without poverty
In its resolution 72/233, the General Assembly proclaimed the Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018–2027). It also considered that the theme of the Third Decade, to be reviewed at its seventy-third sessions, should be 'Accelerating global actions for a world without poverty', in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The core of the present report consists of an inter-agency, system-wide plan of action for poverty eradication to coordinate the efforts of the United Nations system, as well as recommendations concerning how to make the Third Decade effective.
What is Poverty?
Poverty entails more than the lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion, as well as the lack of participation in decision-making. In 2015, over 736 million people lived below the international poverty line.
Around 10 per cent of the world population (pre-pandemic) was living in extreme poverty and struggling to fulfil the most basic needs like health, education, and access to water and sanitation, to name a few. There were 122 women aged 25 to 34 living in poverty for every 100 men of the same age group, and more than 160 million children were at risk of continuing to live in extreme poverty by 2030.
Poverty facts and figures
- According to the most recent estimates, in 2023 almost 700 million people around the world were subsisting on less than $2.15.
- The share of the world’s workers living in extreme poverty fell by half over the last decade: from 14.3 per cent in 2010 to 7.1 per cent in 2019. However, in 2020 it rose for the first time in two decades after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- It is projected that the global goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030 will not be achieved, with almost 600 million people still living in extreme poverty.
- One out of six children lives in extreme poverty. Between 2013 and 2022, the number of children living on less than US$2.15 a day decreased from 383 million to 333 million, but the economic impact of COVID-19 led to three lost years of progress.
- In 2021, 53 per cent of the world’s population – 4.1 billion people – did not benefit from any form of social protection.
Poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals
- Ending poverty in all its forms is the first of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- The SDGs’ main reference to combatting poverty is made in target 1.A: "Ensure significant mobilisation of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions."
- The SDGs also aim to create sound policy frameworks at national and regional levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies to ensure that by 2030 all men and women have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance.
Measuring Poverty
There has been marked progress in reducing poverty over the past decades. In 2015, 10 per cent of the world’s population lived at or below $1.90 a day -down from 16 per cent in 2010 and 36 per cent in 1990- while in 2023 almost 700 million people around the world were subsisting on less than $2.15.
At current rates of progress, the world will likely not meet the global goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030, with estimates indicating that nearly 600 million people will still be struggling with extreme poverty then.
Extreme poverty is concentrated in places where it will be hardest to eradicate— among the least developed countries, in conflict-affected areas, and in remote, rural areas. The outlook is also grim for the nearly 50 per cent of the world’s population who live on less than $6.85 a day – the measure used for upper-middle-income countries.
Global Action
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development promises to leave no one behind and to reach those furthest behind first. Meeting this ambitious development agenda requires visionary policies for sustainable, inclusive, sustained and equitable economic growth, supported by full employment and decent work for all, social integration, declining inequality, rising productivity and a favourable environment.
In the 2030 Agenda, Goal 1 recognises that ending poverty in all its forms everywhere is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.
Government Interventions to Reduce Poverty
Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN):A flagship programme of the Government of India, is the largest school feeding scheme in the world to address the twin problems of improving the nutritional status and school enrolment of children. Under the Scheme, there is a provision of hot cooked meals to children of pre-schools or Bal Vatika (before class I) in primary schools and 11.80 crore children of classes I to VIII studying in 11.20 lakh schools.
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva:Abhiyan, offering assured, comprehensive, and quality antenatal care to all pregnant women universally on the 9th of each month. The programme has conducted 3.94 crore free antenatal checkups.
The Ujjwala Yojana:Ithasprovided clean cooking fuel to an impressive 31 crore individuals, distributing 10 crore LPG connections. Beyond creating smoke-free kitchens, this initiative has protected numerous women from chronic respiratory disorders. Increased LPG access has relieved women from the burdensome task of collecting traditional fuels, enabling them to participate more actively in community life and pursue income-generating opportunities. The substantial growth in LPG coverage has significantly improved women’s health and made kitchens environmentally beneficial by eliminating smoke.
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana: It has been a driving force for change, witnessing the opening of over 50 crore bank accounts in recent years. This mammoth initiative has played a central role in bringing a significant section of the population into the formal financial system, providing efficient access to government schemes, savings, and credit.
The PM Awas Yojana:Ithas revolutionised living conditions in both urban and rural areas, facilitating the construction of over four crore homes for the underprivileged. This has ensured that a majority of families now have access to safe, secure, and comfortable living spaces.
