UNDP official identifies three major trends shaping poverty

UNDP official identifies three major trends shaping poverty
31 / 01 / 2024
By Marwa Nassar - -

Marcos Neto, United Nations (UN) Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Program Support, identified three major trends shaping poverty globally.

The three trends include geographic and spatial disparities, with places and territories being left behind and the disparities between rural and urban areas, he said during the 2024 ECOSOC Partnership Forum. 

The trends also comprise the demographic transformations shaping the world. 

Too many young people lack access to the opportunities necessary to fulfill their potential. On the flip side, our aging population is growing fast, especially in middle-income countries, putting a strain on the support systems and hitting women hardest due to gaps in wealth, employment and health.

Thirdly, the intersection of fragility, conflict, and climate change compounds existing challenges, he said.

“Our focus today is on transforming our collective vision into tangible action and partnerships, crucial for achieving the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty,” he said, adding “As we know, poverty is an stubborn and dynamic issue.” 

“If current trends continue, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty, globally, and only one-third of countries will have reduce by half their national poverty levels by 2030,” he added. 

“Poverty transcends income deprivation to include lack of education, poor health, and living standards. Therefore, our dialogue today will be informed by the multifaceted realities of poverty,” he said.

“By 2030, up to two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor could live in fragile and conflict-affected countries. Women and girls face disproportionate risks and burdens,” he added. 

“To tackle those challenges, UNDP, and its partners, have been working with countries to push for ambitious targets to reduce poverty.”

“As we will explore strategies and solutions to address these challenges, I want to stress the importance of both partnerships and financing,” he highlighted. 

“In pursuit of solutions, the emphasis on partnerships is essential. The private sector plays a critical role in poverty reduction, not only as the main provider of jobs, or in terms of innovation and resource mobilization capacity, but also as responsible stakeholder in a global society. As the private sector invest in decarbonize the economy, it is essential that this transition is a just one, where we address the climate crisis, while also lifting people after poverty,” he asserted.

“Lastly, the enormity of investment required to create substantial change in lifting people out of poverty cannot be overstated—whether it is for education, health services, housing, infrastructure, or social protection systems. As we strive to innovate in the field of financing, the exploration of diverse funding sources, from international financial institutions to private sector engagement and public-private partnerships, becomes essential,” he said. 

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