developed countries poverty essay

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Home > Books > Rural Development - Education, Sustainability, Multifunctionality

Poverty Reduction Strategies in Developing Countries

Submitted: 01 June 2021 Reviewed: 02 November 2021 Published: 02 February 2022

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.101472

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The existence of extreme poverty in several developing countries is a critical challenge that needs to be addressed urgently because of its adverse implications on human wellbeing. Its manifestations include lack of adequate food and nutrition, lack of access to adequate shelter, lack of access to safe drinking water, low literacy rates, high infant and maternal mortality, high rates of unemployment, and a feeling of vulnerability and disempowerement. Poverty reduction can be attained by stimulating economic growth to increase incomes and expand employment opportunities for the poor; undertaking economic and institutional reforms to enhance efficiency and improve the utilization of resources; prioritizing the basic needs of the poor in national development policies; promoting microfinance programs to remove constraints to innovation, entrepreneurship, and small scale business; developing and improving marketing systems to improve production; providing incentives to the private sector; and, implementing affirmative actions such as targeted cash transfers to ensure that the social and economic benefits of poverty reduction initiatives reach the demographics that might otherwise be excluded.

• poverty reduction
• inclusive economic growth

Author Information

Collins ayoo *.

• Department of Economics, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

*Address all correspondence to: [email protected]

1. Introduction

Poverty is a serious economic and social problem that afflicts a large proportion of the world’s population and manifests itself in diverse forms such as lack of income and productive assets to ensure sustainable livelihoods, chronic hunger and malnutrition, homelessness, lack of durable goods, disease, lack of access to clean water, lack of education, low life expectancy, social exclusion and discrimination, high levels of unemployment, high rate of infant and maternal mortality, and lack of participation in decision making [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Because poverty has deleterious impacts on human well-being, its eradication has been identified as an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]. Thus, the eradication of poverty and hunger were key targets in the Millennium Development Goals that the United Nations adopted in September 2000, and continue to be a priority in the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals that the United Nations General Assembly subsequently adopted in January 1, 2016 [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Although poverty exists in all countries, extreme poverty is more widespread in the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia [ 8 , 10 ]. The causes of poverty in these countries are complex and include the pursuit of economic policies that exclude the poor and are biased against them; lack of access to markets and meaningful income-earning opportunities; inadequate public support for microenterprises through initiatives such as low interest credit and skills training; lack of infrastructure; widespread use of obsolete technologies in agriculture; exploitation of poor communities by political elites; inadequate financing of pro-poor programs; low human capital; conflicts and social strife; lack of access to productive resources such as land and capital; fiscal trap; and governance failures. Liu et al. [ 11 ], Beegle and Christiaensen [ 12 ], and Bapna [ 13 ] note that although considerable progress has been made to reduce poverty in the last two decades, more needs to be done to not only reduce the rate of extreme poverty further, but to also reduce the number of those living under extreme poverty. This is an important aspect of poverty reduction given that the rate of poverty can fall while the number of the poor is increasing simultaneously. For example, the poverty rate in Africa decreased from 54% in 1990 to 41% in 2015 but the number of the poor increased from 278 million in 1990 to 413 million in 2015. This constitutes a compelling case for robust well-thought out policies that not only stimulate economic growth but also produce outcomes that are inclusive and sustainable and address other dimensions of well-being such as education, health and gender equality [ 1 , 8 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Examples of poverty reduction initiatives that various countries have adopted are Ghana’s poverty reduction strategy, Ethiopia’s sustainable development and poverty reduction program, Kenya’s economic recovery strategy for wealth and employment creation, Senegal’s poverty reduction strategy, and Uganda’s poverty eradication action plan. Toye [ 21 ] notes that the measures outlined in these strategic policy documents have not been effective in reducing poverty because they were initiated as a condition for development assistance under the debt relief initiative of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. A critical analysis of the poverty reduction measures contained in these documents, however, reveals that to a large extent their failure to significantly reduce the incidence of poverty can be largely attributed to factors such as how the programs were designed, how the poverty reduction policies were targeted, and how they were implemented. This chapter is based on the premise that success in poverty reduction can be achieved by identifying who the poor are, assessing the extent of poverty in the different regions of developing countries, determining both the root causes of poverty and the opportunities that exist for reducing the incidences of poverty and improving the standards of living, and removing the various obstacles to poverty reduction [ 1 , 3 , 6 , 15 , 22 ]. The assumption that economic growth automatically results in a reduction of poverty also needs to be re-examined given the existence of empirical evidence that shows that economic growth can occur while poverty is worsening [ 8 , 16 , 17 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. The focus needs to be on inclusive growth that addresses the unique needs of the poor and increases their access to basic services, employment and income generating opportunities, reliable markets for their products, information, capital and finance, and adequate social protections that remove the causes of the vulnerability of the poor [ 3 , 7 , 14 , 19 , 25 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. The experience of diverse rapidly growing developing countries demonstrates that with political will and visionary leadership that is committed to justice, equality, and rule of law, the goal of reducing poverty and improving the living standards of the poor is achievable. Sachs [ 4 ] notes that through such leadership the downward spiral of impoverishment, hunger, and disease that certain parts of the world are caught in can be reversed and the massive suffering of the poor brought to an end. Sachs is categorical that although markets can be powerful engines of economic development, they can bypass large parts of the world and leave them impoverished and suffering without respite. He advocates that the role of markets be supplemented with collective action through effective government provision of health, education and infrastructure. The World Bank [ 1 , 32 , 33 ], Acemoglu and Robinson [ 34 ], and Beegle and Christiaensen [ 12 ] argue that in much of Sub-Saharan Africa where agriculture is the main occupation, low agricultural productivity is a primary cause of poverty. They assert that the low agricultural productivity is a consequence of the ownership structure of the land and the incentives that are created for farmers by the governments and the institutions under which they live. More recently, the COVID-19 global pandemic has significantly increased the number of the newly poor. The World Bank [ 16 ] estimates that in 2020, between 88 million and 115 million people fell into extreme poverty as a result of the pandemic and that in 2021 an additional between 23 million and 35 million people will fall in poverty bringing the new people living in extreme poverty to between 110 million and 150 million. But the World Bank also points out that even before the pandemic, development for many people in the world’s poorest countries was too slow to raise their incomes, enhance living standards, or narrow inequality. Coates [ 35 ] contends that in February 2020, poverty was in fact increasing in several countries while many others were already off track to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 1. In what follows, I explore these issues and identify practical measures that can be applied to stimulate inclusive growth and reduce extreme poverty in developing countries. I also present some case studies to demonstrate how these measures have been successfully applied in various developing countries.

2. Some definitions and statistics

A clear definition of poverty is vital to identifying the causes of poverty, measuring its extent, and in assessing progress towards its eradication. The World Bank defines poverty in terms of poverty lines that are based on estimates of the cost of goods and services needed to meet the basic subsistence needs. Thus, the poor are regarded as those whose incomes is at or below specific poverty lines. The most commonly used international poverty line is $1.90 per day [ 5 , 17 ]. A concept that is closely related to the poverty line is the head count index which is the proportion of the population below the poverty line. Table 1 shows that Sub-Saharan Africa made significant progress in poverty reduction between 1990 and 2018 as indicated by the decrease in the head count index from 55–40%. Over this period, the population of Sub-Saharan Africa increased by 112% from 509.45 million to 1078.31 million and the population of the poor increased by 55% from 280.95 million to 435.56 million. This increase in the number of the poor by about 154.61 million is significant and suggests an urgent need to intensify poverty reduction efforts.

Head count index (%) and the number of the poor (millions) in sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: PovCalNet, World Bank.Online.

The rate of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa is significantly greater if it is assessed using a $3.20 a day poverty line. Several researchers argue that $3.20 a day is a more realistic yardstick for assessing poverty and are critical of the commonly used $1.90 a day poverty line that they regard as being too low for standard of living assessments. As expected, Table 1 shows that over the period under consideration the poverty rates in Sub-Saharan Africa were higher using a $3.20 a day poverty line as compared to poverty rates estimated using a $1.90 a day poverty line. Specifically, using the $3.20 a day poverty line shows that the poverty rates were 76% in 1990 and declined to 67% in 2018. However, over 1990–2018 period, the number of those living in poverty increased by 333.26 million from 385.5 million to 718.76 million ( Figures 1 – 3 ).

Headcount index (%) sub-Saharan Africa. Source: PovCalNet [ 36 ], World Bank. Online.

Number of the poor (millions) in sub-Saharan Africa. Source: PovCalNet [ 36 ], World Bank. Online.

Poverty gap in sub-Saharan Africa. Source: PovCalNet [ 36 ], World Bank. Online.

A useful metric in analyzing poverty issues is the poverty gap which is the ratio by which the mean income of the poor fall below the poverty line. The poverty gap is an indicator of the severity of the poverty problem in any context and provides an estimate of the income that is needed to bring the poor out of poverty. The squared poverty gap is also an indicator of the severity of poverty and is computed as the mean of the squared distances below the poverty line as a proportion of the poverty a line. Its usefulness stems from the fact that it gives greater weight to those who fall far below the poverty line than those who are close to it. Estimates of the squared poverty gap can be used to more effectively target poverty alleviation policies to segments of communities that are more severely impacted by poverty and thus bring about better and more equitable outcomes. Some values of the squared poverty gaps for Sub-Saharan Africa are presented in Table 1 and depicted in Figure 4 . They corroborate the overall picture of the severity of poverty declining in sub-Saharan Africa between 1990 and 2018 ( Table 2 ).

Squared poverty gap in sub-Saharan Africa. Source: PovCalNet [ 36 ], World Bank. Online.

Poverty gap and squared poverty gap (%) in sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: PovCalNet [ 36 ], World Bank.Online.

3. Poverty alleviation strategies

Poverty is a challenge that developing countries can overcome through, among others, good economic and social policies, innovative and efficient use of resources, investments in technological advancement, good governance, and visionary leadership with the political will to prioritize the needs of the poor. Sachs [ 4 ] notes that these elements are vital in enabling the provision of schools, clinics, roads, electricity, soil nutrients, and clean drinking water that are basic not only for a life of dignity and health, but also for economic productivity. In several countries measures are already being implemented to combat extreme poverty and improve the standards of living of the impoverished communities with steady progress being realized in several cases. Policy makers can learn important lessons from these poverty reduction measures and replicate and scale them up in other regions. Some strategies that developing countries can apply to reduce both the rate of poverty and number of the poor are:

3.1 Stimulating inclusive economic growth

Economic growth is vital in enabling impoverished communities to utilize their resources to increase both their output and incomes and thus break the poverty trap and be able to provide for their basic needs [ 1 , 4 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 37 , 38 ]. However, for economic growth to be effective in reducing poverty, it needs to be both inclusive and to occur at a rate that is higher than the rate of population growth. The fact that agriculture is the dominant economic sector in most poor communities implies that efforts to combat extreme poverty need to be directed towards increasing agricultural production and productivity [ 28 , 30 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Some concrete ways for achieving this overall goal include promoting the adoption of high yielding crop varieties and use of complementary inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides; intensifying the use of land through technological improvements such as increased use of irrigation where water is a constraint to agricultural production; and, adoption of post-harvesting measures that reduce the loss of agricultural produce. These measures are costly and are likely to be unaffordable to poor households. Their increased adoption requires the provision of cheap credit on terms that are flexible and aligned to the unique circumstances of the poor. How credit programs are designed is critical because it can have a significant impact on poverty reduction and livelihood outcomes [ 35 , 43 ]. When well designed, these programs can stimulate economic growth and enable poor communities to access financial capital for investment in income-generating activities. If poorly designed (e.g. if the interest rates are high and the repayment periods are short), credit programs can be not only exclusionary and inequitable, but the credit can also be misapplied, the poor entrapped in debt cycles, and economic growth and poverty reduction undermined.

Stimulating economic growth also requires public investments in infrastructure such as roads, electrical power, schools, hospitals, and water and sanitation systems [ 23 ]. These investments are important for several reasons. Good roads reduce transportation costs and generate diverse economic benefits that include increased ease of transporting agricultural produce to markets, ease of accessing agricultural inputs, and an increase in the profitability of income-generating businesses [ 23 ]. Providing electric power to impoverished areas not only results in improved standards of living but also stimulates the establishment of small-scale industries that process agricultural produce and thus contribute to value addition, in addition to creating much needed jobs. Providing safe, good-quality water for drinking and domestic use is vital in reducing incidences of debilitating water-borne diseases that are expensive to treat, saving time used to fetch water and enable the time and effort saved to be employed in more productive activities. More generally, investment in infrastructure will make rural economies more productive, increase household incomes, contribute to meeting basic needs, and enable greater saving for the future thus putting the economy on a path of sustainable growth [ 4 , 35 , 40 ].

A key challenge that developing countries face in providing the infrastructure they need is financing. On this issue several researchers advocate for increased use of foreign aid to finance public infrastructure in poor developing countries. According to Sachs [ 4 ], the rationale for this policy proposal is that developing countries are too poor and lack the financial resources for providing the infrastructure that they require to break the poverty trap and enable the provision of basic needs. He argues that if the rich world had committed $195 billion in foreign aid per year between 2005 and 2025, poverty could have been entirely eliminated by the end of this period. Moyo [ 44 ], Easterly [ 45 , 46 ], and Easterly and Levine [ 47 ] are however critical of foreign aid and assert that it not only undermines the ability of poor communities to develop solutions to their problems but also fosters corruption in governments and results in the utilization of the aid funds on non-priority areas. Banerjee and Duflo [ 43 ] and Page and Pande [ 23 ] opine that foreign aid can foster economic growth if well-targeted and used efficiently. They however point out that in most cases foreign aid is a small fraction of the overall financing that is required and that developing countries must increasingly rely on their own resources that are generated through taxes. Successful financing of critical infrastructure and social services will therefore require more efficient expenditures of public resources and the eradication of corruption in governments.

3.2 Economic and institutional reforms

An important step in reducing poverty in developing countries is the implementation of economic and institutional reforms to create conditions that attract investment, enhance competitiveness, ensure increased efficiency in the use of resources, stimulate economic growth, and create jobs. If well designed and implemented, these reforms can be instrumental in strengthening governance and reducing endemic corruption and poor accountability that have contributed to the poor economic performance of several developing countries [ 23 , 27 ]. Some reforms that are needed include the strengthening of land tenure systems to encourage risk-taking and investment in productive income-generating activities; improving governance to ensure greater inclusivity, transparency and accountability; reducing the misuse of public resources and unproductive expenditures; ensuring a greater focus on the needs and priorities of the poor; maintaining macroeconomic stability and addressing structural constraints to accelerating growth e.g. by reducing the high costs of doing business and excessive regulatory burdens; and involving the poor, women, and the youth in decision-making [ 8 ]. These reforms can benefit the poor by improving their access to land and other productive resources and by ensuring that their needs and priorities are adequately considered in policy making. Developing countries also need to reform their tax systems to make them more efficient and pro-poor.

3.3 Promoting microfinance institutions and programs

Lack of finance is a major constraint to the establishment of small scale businesses and other income generating activities in impoverished communities in several developing countries [ 48 , 49 ]. Through microfinance institutions, this constraint can be removed and the much-needed credit provided to small businesses that are often unable to access credit from formal financial institutions. In this way, micro-credit can be instrumental in stimulating economic activity, creating jobs in the informal sector, increasing household incomes, and reducing poverty [ 1 , 3 , 28 , 43 , 48 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. Vatta [ 53 ] has noted that microfinance institutions have good potential to reach the rural poor and to address the basic issues of rural development where formal financial institutions have not been able to make a significant impact. Some advantages of obtaining credit from microfinance institutions include less stringent conditions with regard to providing collateral thus easing access to credit; the possibility of the poor obtaining small amounts of loans more frequently thus enabling the credit needs for diverse purposes and at shorter time intervals to be met; reduced transaction costs; flexibility of loan repayment; and an overall improvement in loan repayment. The small informal self-help groups that are often the units for microcredit lending are also valuable for social empowerment and fostering learning, the development of skills, entrepreneurship, exchange of ideas and experiences, and greater accountability by the group members [ 49 , 54 ]. Sachs [ 4 ] supports microfinance as a viable and promising path to poverty alleviation and cites Bangladesh as a country where micro-credit has contributed to a reduction in poverty through group lending that enabled impoverished women who were previously considered unbankable and not credit worthy to obtain small loans as working capital for microbusiness activities. He further notes that by opening to poor rural women improved economic opportunites, microcredit can be instrumental in reducing fertility rates and thus improve the abilities of households to save and provide better health and education for their children.

3.4 Improving the marketing systems

According to Karnani [ 55 ], the best way to reduce poverty is to raise the productive capacity of the poor. Efficient marketing systems are vital in enabling the poor to increase their production because they permit the delivery of products to markets at competitive prices that result in increased incomes. This is also the reason why developing countries need to explore ways of expanding export markets. The plight of cotton, rice, tea, coffee, and cashew nut farmers in Kenya demonstrates the importance of improving the marketing systems. Weaknesses and inefficiencies in the marketing of these commodities has resulted in the impoverishment of the farmers who face problems such as damage to their harvests, low commodity prices and thus low profits and incomes, and exploitation by middlemen. By improving the marketing system, the growers of these commodities can benefit from better storage that would cushion them from price fluctuations, the pooling of their resources that would enable a reduction of their costs, and the processing of their products to enable value-addition and an improvement on the returns. The implementation of these measures can stimulate local, regional, and national economies; underpin the establishment of a robust agro-industrial sector; create jobs; increase production and incomes; and, contribute to equitable and sustained reduction of poverty.

3.5 Cash/income transfer programs

The fight against poverty needs to consider the fact that among the poor are those who cannot actively participate in routine economic activities and are therefore likely to suffer exclusion from the benefits of economic growth. This category of the poor include the old and infirm, the sick and those afflicted by various debilitating conditions, families with young children, and those who have been displaced by war and domestic violence. Special affirmative actions that transfer incomes to these groups are required to provide for their basic needs and ensure more equity in poverty reduction. In impoverished regions where children contribute to the livelihoods of their families by supplying agricultural labor and participating in informal businesses, income transfer programs can provide families with financial relief and enable regular school attendance by children. Such investment in the education of the children is vital in improving their human capital and prospects for employment and can therefore play an important role in long term poverty reduction [ 7 , 8 , 56 ]. Kumara and Pfau [ 57 ] analyzed such programs in Sri Lanka and found that cash transfers in the country significantly reduced child poverty and also increased school attendance and child welfare. Barrientos and Dejong [ 58 ], Monchuk [ 59 ], Banerjee et al. [ 60 ], Page and Pande [ 23 ], Hanna and Olken [ 61 ], and World Bank [ 8 ] strongly support cash transfer programs and contend that these programs are a key instrument in reducing poverty, deprivation, and vulnerability among children and their households. They cite South Africa, Bangladesh, Brazil, Mexico and Chile as examples of countries where cash transfer programs have significantly reduced poverty and vulnerability among poor households. They also point out that cash transfer programs are beneficial to households because they are flexible and enhance the welfare of households given that households are free to use the supplemental income on their priorities.

Cash transfer programs are central to social protection that is much needed in developing countries that face heightened social and economic risks due to structural adjustments driven by globalization. As noted by Sneyd [ 2 ], Monchuk [ 59 ], Barrientos et al. [ 62 ], and Barrientos and Dejong [ 58 ], globalization has resulted in greater openness of developing economies and exposed them to changes in global markets leading to a greater concentration of social risk among vulnerable groups. They regard social protection as the most appropriate framework for addressing rising poverty and vulnerability in the conditions that prevail in developing countries. They recommend that if significant and sustained reduction in poverty is to be achieved, cash transfer programs be accompanied by complementary actions that extend economic opportunities and address the multiple dimensions of poverty such as food, water, sanitation, health, shelter, education and access to services. Fiszbein et al. [ 29 ] strongly support the increased use of social protection programs such as cash transfers to alleviate extreme povery and estimate that in 2014 these programs prevented about 150 million people from falling into poverty. It needs to be noted that although well designed cash transfer programs can be effective in reducing poverty, they are expensive and may be difficult to finance in a sustained manner [ 23 ]. However, by reducing wasteful expenditures and instituting tax reforms, the required resources can be freed for investment in cash transfer programs [ 29 ]. The viability of this approach is evident in the case of Bangladesh and a number of central Asian countries that have been able to successfully finance cash transfers from their national budgets. Countries that are not able to finance cash transfer programs from their own resources need to explore the possibilities of securing medium-term support from international organizations [ 4 , 7 , 29 , 58 , 63 ].

A major concern that several researchers have expressed regarding cash transfer programs is that they have a short term focus of alleviating only current poverty and have thus failed to generate sustained decrease in poverty independent of the transfer themselves. Critics of cash transfers also argue that they are a very cost ineffective approach to poverty alleviation and an unnecessary waste of scarce public resources. Furthermore, they claim that many cash transfer programes are characterized by unnecessary bureaucracy, high administrative costs, corruption, high operational inefficiencies, waste, and poor targeting. The overall result of these weaknesses is that program benefits have to a large extent failed to reach the poorest households. Where these shortcomings exist, they need to be identified through rigorous audits and addressed through improved program design. But more fundamentally, it also needs to be recognized that cash transfer programs are not simply handouts but are investments in poor households that regard the programs as their only hope for a life free from chronic poverty, malnutrition and disease.

4. Selected case studies on poverty reduction in developing countries

The goal of poverty reduction can be achieved through sound policies that address the root causes of poverty, promote inclusive economic growth, prioritize the basic needs of the poor, and provide economic opportunities that empower the poor and enable them to improve their standards of living [ 6 , 8 , 64 ]. In what follows we present a few case studies from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America to illustrate real world examples of policies that have resulted in significant reduction in poverty. Policy makers can learn important lessons from these case studies in their attempts to combat poverty in different contexts.

4.1 Sub-Saharan Africa

Several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have developed poverty reduction plans that are currently being implemented to improve the standards of living of the poor and vulnerable. In Kenya where poverty is widespread and is estimated to exceeed 60 percent, the key elements of the poverty reduction strategy are facilitating sustained and rapid economic growth; increasing the ability of the poor to raise their incomes; improving the quality of life of the poor; improving equity and the participation of the poor in decision-making and in the economy; and improving governance and security [ 65 ]. The government has also implemented macroeconomic reforms to reduce domestic debt burden and high interest rates - this is expected to promote higher private-sector led growth and thus contribute to poverty reduction. An important action that is being carried out to reduce poverty in Kenya is promoting agricultural production. This focus is underpinned by the fact that the majority of Kenyans derive their livelihoods and income from agriculture and live in rural areas. Some specific poverty reduction measures in Kenya that target the agricultural sector include providing subsidized fertilizers and seeds; encouraging the growing of high value crops; rehabilitation and expansion of irrigation projects; and, provision of subsidized credit to alleviate capital contraints. To support agricultural production, the government has also prioritized the strengthening and streamling of the marketing system and the expansion of rural roads to improve the access of the poor to markets, increase economic opportunities, and create employment. Robust efforts are also underway to increase agricultural exports as a means for stimulating domestic agricultural production and increasing the country’s foreign exchange earnings. Other poverty reduction measures that are being implemented in Kenya are the promotion of small scale income generating enterprises; subsidization of education and health care to reduce the costs to poor households; school-feeding programs; rural employment schemes through public works projects; investments in technical and vocational training to enable the youth acquire skills in areas such as carpentry, masonry, and, auto mechanics; and, family planning programs to reduce the fertility rates.

In collaboration with international development partners, Kenya and other low and middle income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have been implementing cash transfer programs on a limited scale to address extreme poverty and assist vulnerable households. The cash transfers were unconditional in the intial phases with disbursements made to all applicants. Subsequently however, and based on the lessons learned from the earlier phases, several countries have redesigned their cash transfer programs and made them conditional and contingent on means-testing. This is important given the severe budget contraints that developing countries face, the need to target the cash transfers on the poorest and most vulnerable households, and the need to ensure that social protection expenditures are efficient and result in the greatest reduction in poverty. Egger et al. [ 66 ] conducted an empirical study of a cash transfer program in rural western Kenya between mid-2014 and early 2017 and concluded that the program had several positive effects on both the households that received the cash transfers and those that did not. Some specific benefits attributable to the cash transfer program were an increase in consumption expenditures and holdings of durable assets by households; increased demand-driven earnings by local enterprises; increased food security; improved child growth and school attendance; improvement in health of members of the recipient households; female empowerment; and, enhanced psychological well-being. Furthermore, the cash transfer program had a stimulatory effect on local economic activities and these effects persisted long after the cash disbursements. The experience with cash transfer programs demonstrates that they can contribute significantly to a reduction in extreme poverty if they are scaled up, and if they are well designed and targeted at the poorest households.

Since March of 2020, Kenya’s progress in poverty reduction has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic that is estimated to have increased the number of the poor by an additional 2 million through adverse impacts on incomes and jobs [ 24 , 67 ]. The containment measures that were implemented in response to the pandemic significantly slowed economic activity, reduced revenues from household-run businesses, exacerbated food insecurity, and posed a serious threat to the lives and livelihoods of large segments of the population. Some of the actions that the government of Kenya took to address these challenges included allocating more resources to the healthcare sector to combat the pandemic; instituting taxation and spending measures to support healthy firms from permanent closure in order to protect jobs, incomes and the productive capacity of the economy; and, scaling-up social protection programs to offset the increase in poverty and protect the most vulnerable households [ 24 , 67 ].

A number of countries in Asia have developed and implemented programs that have been impactful in significantly reducing extreme poverty. According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) [ 68 ], these programs were predicated on rapid economic growth driven by innovation, structural reform, and the application of private sector solutions in the public sector. Asia’s progress in raising prosperity and reducing poverty is evident from the fact that since 1990 over a billion people have emerged from extreme poverty and also from the fact that in the decade spanning 2005–2015 more that 611 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty – four-fifths of these were in China (234 million) and India (253 million) [ 68 ]. The general approach that governments of Asia have taken to poverty reduction include accelerating economic growth, increasing the delivery of social services, developing lagging areas, increasing investments to generate jobs, promoting small and medium-sized enterprises, redistributing incomes, balancing rural–urban growth, and developing social protection interventions [ 68 , 69 ].

An example of a successful poverty reduction initiative in Asia is the Shanxi Integrated Agricultural Development Project (SIADP) that was implemented between 2009 and 2016 in the Shanxi province in China with a $ 100 million loan from the ADB. The goal of the SIADP was to improve agricultural production in the region as a way to stimulate economic growth and reduce the level of poverty. Prior to the implementation of the SIADP most farmers in Shanxi province mainly grew wheat and corn that generated low incomes and required extensive use of water and agrochemicals. The farmers in the region also engaged in free-range livestock grazing, an environmentally unsustainable practice that resulted in soil and water pollution from uncontrolled disposal of untreated animal waste. They were also unorganized and did not have good access to markets and finance, and the participation of women in the economy was marginal and their social and economic rights ignored. According to the ADB [ 68 ], the SIADP was implemented by first training farmers in improved production techniques that resulted in the development of a sustainable agricultural sector with the farmers starting to grow high-value crops, and forming contract farming agreements with agro-enterprises that enabled the farmers to gain access to stable markets and premium prices for their produce. The farmers also started breeding and raising livestock under more controlled conditions that enabled not only an increase in livestock output but also the turning of animal waste into compost or biogas which is a source of clean energy. These measures were instrumental in stimulating the region’s bioeconomy, improving the quality of the environment, increasing farm incomes, and reducing the level of poverty in Shanxi province.

Social protection programs are vital in cushioning poor and vulnerable households from crises they are unable to cope with and that are likely to cause an overall reduction and degradation of their physical and social assets [ 68 ]. This is exemplified by the food stamp program that was implemented in 2008 through a partnership between the Government of Mongolia and the ADB. The food stamp program was put in place at a time when the overall poverty rate in Mongolia was 32.6 percent of the population with about 5 percent of the population being categorized as extremely poor. There was also a high level of food insecurity in the country and a high inflation rate that had reached 32.2 percent [ 68 ]. To help reduce the adverse impact of food insecurity and high inflation, the government of Mongolia established a food subsidy program that targeted poor households. The program was very effective in assisting the poor to buy enough floor, rice and other basic commodities and also freed up money that the poor could then spend on other necessities. Following the introduction of this program, school attendance by children increased and their mean grades improved [ 68 ]. The program also supported the poor households in developing alternative food sources. The ADB [ 68 ] notes that the participants in the food stamp program also learned valuable skills in backyard gardening, food storage and food preservation with many of them reporting significant earnings from vegetable production. Thus, the program contributed directly to poverty reduction by mitigating the adverse effects of the food and financial crises on the poor and is a strategy that developing countries need to seriously consider in their efforts to reduce povery and improve living standards.

4.3 Latin America

As a region, Latin America has performed reasonably well in reducing extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity [ 70 ]. A country-specific assessment however reveals a significant heterogeneity across and within the countries in the region. The countries that have performed well include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Panama, Uruguay, and Peru while those that have performed poorly include Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. For the well-performing countries, the reasons include rapid and inclusive economic growth, and the adoption of redistributive policies such as improved access to education, healthcare, and social protections. In these countries, there has been a significant increase in the participation of the poor in labor markets thus enhancing their ability to generate labor income. Cord et al. [ 70 ] assert that the growth in female labor force participation in particular has been strong and has contributed to the substantial drop in poverty rates that has been observed in the well-performing countries. It is worth noting that these gains in poverty reduction and promotion of shared prosperity have been aided by prudent macro fiscal economic policies and positive terms of trade. These countries have also benefitted immensely from remittance flows that have not only complemented the expansion of government transfers and the broadening of pension coverage but have also enabled greater macroeconomic stability, higher savings, more entrepreneurship and better access to healthcare and education. In a country like El Salvador which is one of the largest remittance-receiving countries in the region, these private remittances have played a major role in poverty reduction [ 70 ]. Although, the income transfer programs that several countries in Latin America have implemented have been effective in reducing persistent intergenerational poverty, the incidence of poverty in the region has remained high due, in part, to the limited scale of these programs and weaknesses in their design [ 71 ]. By supplementing household consumption, these programs are playing a key role in human development and preventing future poverty because present consumption improves productive capacity through the expected positive impact of improved nutrition and health status on labour productivity [ 71 ]. Further reduction in poverty in the region requires not only the scaling up of the income transfer programs and improvements in their design to ensure greater efficiency in service delivery, but also the redressing of other critical drivers of poverty such as the long-standing inequalities in access to land and other productive resources [ 71 ]. A problematic issue that needs to be addressed is the over-reliance of these programs on external financing; it poses to policy-makers the challenge of identifying and crafting alternative sources of financing to ensure the sustainability of these programs.

5. Conclusions and policy implications

Poverty is a serious challenge that developing countries are facing today and requires focused and sustained action to significantly reduce it, break the cycle of poverty, and improve the standards of living. Although income is the yardstick that is most commonly used to measure and assess it, poverty is multidimensional and entails diverse aspects of well-being that include food, water, sanitation, health, shelter, education, access to services and human rights [ 20 ]. According to the World Bank, the extent of poverty is highest in Sub Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America where the number of the poor has been increasing due to high population growth and modest economic performance in these regions. Various reports also indicate that the youth are the majority of the population in these countries so that targeting them can be effective in reducing poverty. Developing countries are currently in various stages implementing policies aimed at reducing poverty and vulnerability, and improving the standards of living. Promoting inclusive economic growth is vital not only in increasing output and incomes but also in ensuring that the benefits of economic growth are broadly shared. Some ways of promoting inclusive economic growth are investing in infrastructure and technology; liberalizing trade and expanding export markets; providing incentives to small and medium businesses; providing fiscal stimulus to the economy; ensuring macroeconomic stability; and improving public management and governance [ 8 , 26 , 33 ]. The implementation of these measures in an integrated manner can have positive economy wide effects, incentivize the private sector, create the much needed employment opportunities, and reduce the levels of poverty.

Poverty reduction can also be enhanced through microfinance institutions that not only provide credit to small borrowers who are often unable to access credit from formal financial institutions, but also mobilize domestic savings and channel these savings towards income generating activities [ 43 ]. This role of microfinance institutions is particularly important in developing countries where most businesses are small scale and face severe financing constraints [ 43 , 48 , 51 , 52 ]. The available empirical evidence demonstrates that microfinance has been instrumental in supporting income generating activities in impoverished regions and thus contributed to the provision of basic needs and reduction of poverty. Developing countries can also address the challenge of poverty by improving the efficiency and competitiveness of their economies. This can be accomplished through economic and institutional reforms that reduce the cost of doing business, strengthen the linkages between various sectors of the economy, protect property rights, reduce corruption, and foster greater accountability in public management. Tax regimes also need to be reformed to make them more efficient, provide incentives to small businesses, effect redistribution in favor of the poor, and generate more resources that can be used to finance critical services such as education, health, water and sanitation, and shelter for the poor. Furthermore, through tax reforms employment opportunities can be expanded as a key step in poverty reduction. Finally, carefully designed affirmative actions and social protection programs need to be included as a key pillar of the poverty reduction strategies of developing countries given that there will invariably be groups in society whose unique circumstances result in their exclusion from the economic and social benefits of conventional poverty reduction measures. This is the rationale for the cash transfer programs that several developing countries are increasingly implementing to reduce poverty and vulnerability. The private sector and international development institutions can play an important role in poverty reduction in developing countries by providing expertise and the supplemental resources and assistance that are needed to implement poverty reduction plans. Success in poverty eradication requires a focus on areas where poverty is widespread and the use of innovative and practical policy instruments that are most likely to lift the greatest number of the poor out of poverty. It is a goal that is attainable through collaboration among all stakeholders, prioritization of the basic needs of the poor, the determination to improve economic performance to realize inclusive economic growth and break the vicious cycle of povery, empowering the poor to take control of their future, and by mainstreaming poverty reduction into national policies and actions.

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Should Rich Nations Help the Poor? They Should...and So Should Emerging Powers

Issued on 04 December 2020

By Professor David Hulme, Global Development Institute

Despite the Covid-19 setback we live in an affluent world. We produce enough food to feed the entire planet and we have the resources to meet everyone’s basic needs. Reallocating just 1% of global wealth would eradicate extreme poverty at a stroke. Yet 3 billion people are deprived of at least one basic human need – food, potable water, sanitation, primary education, shelter, and others.  Almost 700 million people went to bed hungry last night and 19,000 children will die today of easily preventable causes.

As economic growth has slowed down, nationalism has been on the rise in many countries, and helping the distant poor has slid down the international agenda. This must be stopped. It is time to go back to basics and ask ‘should rich and rising nations help the poor…and, what are the best ways?’

This means looking beyond foreign aid and charity at the broader ways in which better-off countries can raise the prospects of poor people: trade, finance, climate change mitigation, migration, and others.

There are two main reasons for this. First, it is the right thing to do – the moral argument. Our common humanity means that those of us who are doing well should help those whose basic needs are not met.

Second, the ‘better-off’ would be foolish not to help the poor and their national governments. This argument is about ‘mutual benefit’. If we want a prosperous, environmentally sustainable, politically stable, and healthy world for ourselves (and our children and grandchildren), then we must help poor people wherever they happen to live. Issues such as new diseases, extreme weather events, international migration, organized crime and terrorism have transnational causes. They must be dealt with through global action built on multilateral cooperation. No country can solve these problems ‘by itself’.

The Covid-19 crisis provides an obvious example. This threatens the lives and livelihoods of people around the world.

While its worst impacts have been on the poor (uncounted deaths, hunger, disability, curtailed education) it also impacts on the better-off. Their business’s growth rates have slowed down, their children are in lockdown in universities in Australia, Europe and the US and their foreign travel plans are cancelled.

Worse could come: if the coronavirus mutates. As the UN’s World Health Organization advises, all countries need to work together to reduce disease transmission, create and internationally share a Covid-19 vaccine and be better prepared for the next pandemic. There will be one: new strains of Avian flu, Ebola, Lassa fever or the Zika virus.

So, how can rich and rising nations help the world’s poor and help themselves?

In the ‘West’, the orthodox answer has been through government-to-government foreign aid and charity. What has this achieved? We know that aid can work. Aid-financed campaigns have eradicated smallpox globally and polio is close to eradication; insecticide-treated bed-nets have driven down infant mortality rates in Africa; and millions of AIDS sufferers are alive and well today because of aid-financed antiretroviral medicines. But, it does not work all the time and critically, foreign aid has not created inclusive and sustainable development for recipients.

Looking beyond aid there is a growing consensus that economic structural transformation in poorer countries requires action by both the state and businesses. The state has an important role to play in technologically upgrading economic activity, providing infrastructure and public services (health, education, and social protection).  Commercial firms need to be dynamic and successfully compete in a globalized economy.

As I argue in my newly translated book ( Should Rich Nations Help the Poor? ), if high income and economically rising nations are serious about helping the world’s poor, they need to go beyond aid and adopt ‘joined-up’ policies for international development. First, reform international trade policies so that poor countries and poor people can gain a greater share of the benefits derived from trade. Second, take national and multilateral action against climate change through mitigation and supporting adaptation. Third, reform global finance to stop the illicit and illegal extraction of income from poor countries to rich countries by corporations and corrupt elites. Fourth, recognize international migration as a highly effective means of reducing poverty, achieving inclusive growth alongside meeting the needs of ageing populations, in Europe and east Asia.

Continuing with existing policies is not a viable policy option for two reasons.

Most obvious is climate change . The material foundation of humanity’s improved living standards over the last two centuries was achieved by carbon profligate economic processes. This cannot continue as global warming has set off disastrous environmental changes.  Globally, we must move to an environmentally sustainable economic model through the Paris Climate Agreement. But, that needs leadership. China could step forward and the US could collaborate.

Less obvious, but just as important, the rise in economic and social inequality in countries must be stopped. Contemporary global economic processes and social norms generate income and wealth inequalities on a previously unimaginable scale. The richest 1% of humanity (most of them living in China, Europe and the US) will soon own as much wealth as the remaining 99%. High levels of inequality hamper growth, undermine education and health services, exacerbate poverty and may lead to political decline – as seen in the UK and US.

This analysis sets a challenging agenda. We need an all-out war of ideas to raise levels of public understanding of why rich and rising nations must help poor people and poor countries.

We live in ‘one world’, and if we want good lives for ourselves and future generations, then environmental sustainability and global social justice must be pursued.

Multilateral action by rich and rising nations can systematically tackle the big issues for international development: trade, climate change, access to finance/technology, migration, and inequality. This may seem unlikely, but so did abolishing slavery, winning votes for women, establishing international humanitarian law and, the Paris Climate Agreement.

About The Author

David Hulme is Professor of Development Studies at the University of Manchester’s Global Development Institute and Global Agriculture, China Agricultural University, Beijing. He is also Chief Executive Officer of the Effective States and Inclusive Development Research Centre. 

First published in China Daily (Global Edition), 13 November 2020.

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The World Bank Group is committed to fighting poverty in all its dimensions. We use the latest data, evidence and analysis to help countries develop policies to improve people's lives, with a focus on the poorest and most vulnerable.

Around 700 million people live on less than $2.15 per day, the extreme poverty line. Extreme poverty remains concentrated in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, fragile and conflict-affected areas, and rural areas.

After decades of progress, the pace of global poverty reduction began to slow by 2015, in tandem with subdued economic growth. The Sustainable Development Goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030 remains out of reach.

Global poverty reduction was dealt a severe blow by the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of major shocks during 2020-22, causing three years of lost progress. Low-income countries were most impacted and have yet to recover. In 2022, a total of 712 million people globally were living in extreme poverty, an increase of 23 million people compared to 2019. 

We cannot reduce poverty and inequality without also addressing intertwined global challenges, including slow economic growth, fragility and conflict, and climate change.

Climate change is hindering poverty reduction and is a major threat going forward. The lives and livelihoods of poor people are the most vulnerable to climate-related risks.

Millions of households are pushed into, or trapped in, poverty by natural disasters every year. Higher temperatures are already reducing productivity in Africa and Latin America, and will further depress economic growth, especially in the world’s poorest regions.

Eradicating poverty requires tackling its many dimensions. Countries cannot adequately address poverty without also improving people’s well-being in a comprehensive way, including through more equitable access to health, education, and basic infrastructure and services, including digital.

Policymakers must intensify efforts to grow their economies in a way that creates high quality jobs and employment, while protecting the most vulnerable.

Jobs and employment are the surest way to reduce poverty and inequality. Impact is further multiplied in communities and across generations by empowering women and girls, and young people.

Last Updated: Apr 02, 2024

Closing the gaps between policy aspiration and attainment

Too often, there is a wide gap between policies as articulated and their attainment in practice—between what citizens rightfully expect, and what they experience daily. Policy aspirations can be laudable, but there is likely to be considerable variation in the extent to which they can be realized, and in which groups benefit from them. For example, at the local level, those who have the least influence in a community might not be able to access basic services. It is critical to forge implementation strategies that can rapidly and flexibly respond to close the gaps.

Enhancing learning, improving data

From information gathered in household surveys to pixels captured by satellite images, data can inform policies and spur economic activity, serving as a powerful weapon in the fight against poverty. More data is available today than ever before, yet its value is largely untapped. Data is also a double-edged sword, requiring a social contract that builds trust by protecting people against misuse and harm, and works toward equal access and representation.

Investing in preparedness and prevention

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that years of progress in reducing poverty can quickly disappear when a crisis strikes. Prevention measures often have low political payoff, with little credit given for disasters averted. Over time, populations with no lived experience of calamity can become complacent, presuming that such risks have been eliminated or can readily be addressed if they happen. COVID-19, together with climate change and enduring conflicts, reminds us of the importance of investing in preparedness and prevention measures comprehensively and proactively.

Expanding cooperation and coordination

Contributing to and maintaining public goods require extensive cooperation and coordination. This is crucial for promoting widespread learning and improving the data-driven foundations of policymaking. It is also important for forming a sense of shared solidarity during crises and ensuring that the difficult policy choices by officials are both trusted and trustworthy.

Overall, with more than 60 percent of the world’s extreme poor living in middle-income countries, we cannot focus solely on low-income countries if we want to end extreme poverty. We need to focus on the poorest people, regardless of where they live, and work with countries at all income levels to invest in their well-being and their future.

The goal to end extreme poverty works hand in hand with the World Bank Group’s goal to promote shared prosperity. Boosting shared prosperity broadly translates into improving the welfare of the least well-off in each country and includes a strong emphasis on tackling persistent inequalities that keep people in poverty from generation to generation.

Our work at the World Bank Group is based on strong country-led programs to improve living conditions—to drive growth, raise median incomes, create jobs, fully incorporate women and young people into economies, address environmental and climate challenges, and support stronger, more stable economies for everyone.

We continue to work closely with countries to help them find the best ways to improve the lives of their least advantaged citizens.

Last Updated: Oct 17, 2023

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• General Assembly
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Extreme Poverty in Developing Countries Inextricably Linked to Global Food Insecurity Crisis, Senior Officials Tell Second Committee

Delegates warn agriculture sector underdeveloped, underfunded, beset by crises.

An increase in extreme poverty in developing countries — for the first time in two decades — is inextricably linked to the global food insecurity crisis , senior United Nations officials warned the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today, calling for urgent strategies to turn back the tide.

Benjamin Davis, Director of the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), presented reports of the Secretary-General titled “Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (document  A/78/238 ) and “Agriculture development, food security and nutrition” (documents  A/78/218 ,  A/78/233 ,  A/78/74 ).  He noted that more than 80 per cent of the world’s extreme poor live in rural areas — at rates nearly three times higher than among urban residents.  He called for the implementation of inclusive, environmentally sustainable strategies that put the eradication of rural poverty at the centre.

Turning to the report on agriculture development, food security and nutrition, he said that some 29.6 per cent of the global population — 2.4 billion people — were moderately or severely food-insecure in 2022, 391 million more than in 2019, with more women and people in rural areas denied access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food year-round.  A long-term, holistic approach is needed to address structural problems such as political and economic shocks, unsustainable management of natural resources and socioeconomic exclusion.

Similarly, John Wilmoth, Officer-in-Charge of the Division for Inclusive Social Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, introduced the report of the Secretary-General titled “Implementation of the third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018-2027)” (document  A/78/239 ), spotlighting that about 670 million people were estimated to be living in extreme poverty in 2022, an increase of 70 million people compared with pre-pandemic projections.  He stressed that the poorest countries spent billions on debt payments, preventing them from investing in sustainable development.

In the ensuing debate, speakers echoed the urgency of addressing the dangers of the regressive poverty trend. Congo’s representative lamented that, after recording substantial progress in reducing extreme poverty, the world now finds itself in a state of indescribable poverty.  He called for urgent action to reverse the negative trends, highlighting the need to connect rural and urban areas with infrastructure, public goods and capacity-building, as “eradicating poverty in all its forms is essential”.

The representative of Nepal, speaking on behalf of the Group of Least Developed Countries, noted that those States are host to over half of the world’s extreme poor, facing “unprecedented levels of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition”.  Agriculture, being the most important sector of the economy for these countries, has been hard hit by conflicts, leading to high costs of agricultural inputs and fertilizer shortages, a result of which “about two thirds of people facing extreme poverty in the world are workers and families in the agriculture sector”.

Viet Nam’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), recalled that agriculture provided employment for as much as 32 per cent of the region’s population and 22 per cent of gross domestic production.  Citing its significant contribution towards poverty eradication and the reduction of hunger, he added that sustainable agriculture and food systems are important to ensure the availability, affordability and sustainability of food products for all.  The reduction of poverty and the promotion of rural development are therefore key priorities.

The representative of Nicaragua, stressing the key priority of eradicating extreme poverty, called for a new global order and a multipolar world characterized by transparent, equitable agreements and solidarity.  Many developing countries struggle with indebtedness, requiring the financial system to put forward monetary policies that are fair.  She also criticized illegal unilateral coercive measures imposed by imperial and neocolonial countries on more than 30 countries, affecting more than 2 billion people.

Taking up the theme of food security as a major solution to extreme poverty, speakers pointed to its promise and potential, while lamenting that the agriculture sector is underdeveloped, underfunded and beset by crises.  The representative of Samoa, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, said the group considers agricultural development, food security and nutrition critical.  Reversal of progress in this regard is therefore a source of concern for those States, requiring drastic action to invert the disturbing trend.

Niger’s representative said that the agricultural sector employs nearly 80 per cent of its working population and represents on average 40 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).  However, despite the significant assets that Niger has — 19 million hectares of arable land — and the enormous efforts that have been made, “we face agricultural challenges” including lack of access to technology for producers and an underdeveloped agricultural transport sector.

Striking an optimistic note, the representative of the United Republic of Tanzania said his country aims to be a hub and basket of the African food supply.  He cited a clear land-ownership policy, a 29 per cent increase in the budget for agriculture between 2022 and 2024, and subsidies in fertilizers and seeds.  The country is piloting a youth programme to make agriculture more attractive, aiming to generate more than 10,000 enterprises in eight years.

A report was also presented by the Director of the Partnerships and United Nations Collaboration Division at FAO.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Thursday, 12 October, to conclude its joint discussion of eradication of poverty and agriculture development, food security and nutrition, before taking up operational activities.

Introduction of Reports

JOHN WILMOTH, Officer-in-Charge of the Division for Inclusive Social Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs , introducing the report of the Secretary-General titled “Implementation of the Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018-2027)” (document  A/78/239 ), said that the document provides a review of the progress made and the gaps and challenges in the context of ongoing global and mutually reinforcing crises.  “It states that the disruptions caused by the pandemic in 2020 led to an increase in extreme poverty for the first time in more than two decades,” he said, spotlighting a compounding cost-of-living crisis and related inflationary shocks triggered by the war in Ukraine.  “About 670 million people were estimated to be living in extreme poverty in 2022, an increase of 70 million people compared with pre-pandemic projections,” he stressed, adding that 1.1 billion out of 6.1 billion people in 110 countries surveyed are living in multidimensional poverty in 2023.  “Projections show that almost 600 million people will still suffer from hunger in 2030,” he said, citing the report, which notes that the poorest countries spent billions on debt payments, preventing them from investing in sustainable development.  The report makes recommendations on how to reach a rapid and sustainable recovery and end poverty for all, he concluded.

BENJAMIN DAVIS, Director of the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), presented reports of the Secretary-General titled “Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (document  A/78/238 ) and “Agriculture development, food security and nutrition” (documents  A/78/218 ,  A/78/233 , A/78/74 ).

According to the report on eradicating rural poverty, more than 80 per cent of the world’s extreme poor live in rural areas.  Poverty rates, in fact, are nearly three times higher among rural than among urban residents.  The report notes that progress is being thwarted by the slow and uneven recovery from COVID‑19 and other crises, such as conflict, fluctuating commodity prices and extreme weather.  While people living in rural poverty contribute the least to climate change, they are the most vulnerable to it, he said, and called for the implementation of inclusive, environmentally sustainable rural development strategies that put the eradication of rural poverty at the centre.  Among other things, the report calls for increasing investments in social services and emphasizes the need to expand access to financial services.

Turning to the report on agriculture development, food security and nutrition, he said that some 29.6 per cent of the global population — 2.4 billion people — were moderately or severely food-insecure in 2022, 391 million more than in 2019, with more women and people in rural areas denied access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food year-round.  A long-term, holistic approach is needed to address structural problems such as political and economic shocks, unsustainable management of natural resources and socioeconomic exclusion as a result of conflict and protracted crises, he said, adding that it’s important to strengthen the interface between science, policymaking and society to improve public-private transparency, information-sharing and cross-sectoral collaboration as well as bring together modern science and technology and Indigenous, local and community knowledge to find solutions that minimize trade-offs and balance the economic, environmental and social dimensions of agrifood systems transformation.

MARCELA VILLARREAL, Director of the Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization , introduced the Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of the Third United Nations Decade of Family Farming (2019–2028) (document  A/78/233 ), noting that since the launch of the Decade in 2019, “results have been incredibly strong”, with more than 1,853 family farmers’ organizations and federations, and more than 80 intersectoral coordination mechanisms, such as national committees for family farming, have been involved in dialogue processes and platforms.  Further, 12 States have approved national action plans for family farming, and 42 countries have kick-started processes to develop their own. Overall, a total of 262 policies, laws and regulations have been developed and approved to support family farming and the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

She reported that over the past few years, family farmers have faced increasing challenges from interconnected, mutually reinforcing drivers; however, they have developed innovative, tailored and locally adapted solutions, increased their capacities, strengthened their resilience and provided effective solutions to deal with the emerging needs of agrifood systems.  As the midterm of the Decade approaches in 2024, a new phase will begin, moving to consolidate, strengthen and scale up the results already achieved and use them to fully leverage the innovative potential of family farmers to effectively meet the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  “A huge potential is there,” she stressed; “however, we still need broader involvement.  We need greater recognition of farmers’ organizations, NGOs [non-governmental organizations], civil society organizations, academia and others as key participants in national policy dialogues,” along with appropriate financing to ensure the Decade can continue to be fully implemented.

GUEVARA RODRÍGUEZ ( Cuba ), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China , said that eradicating extreme poverty is the greatest and gravest global challenge.  It must, therefore, be at the forefront of all international efforts.  The right to sustainable development must be realized, and the path there must ensure that all Member States can meet the environmental and developmental needs of future generations.  Some 670 million people lived in extreme poverty in 2021, an increase of 70 million people compared to the pre-pandemic figures.  “Poverty imposes massive human suffering,” he added. Poverty eradication is the first of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  There is a reason for that.  Extreme poverty is a scourge that affects all sectors of society, impacting everyone’s life.

Conflicts are on the rise, which has thrown a wrench in the efforts to meet the 2030 Agenda, he continued.  The Group warned that the exploitation of natural resources must stop.  It is critical that all Member States respect international law and enforce and respect the Charter of the United Nations.  New technologies must be mobilized and made available to developing countries so that they are not “left behind”.  He further reiterated the Group’s urgent call to lift unilateral coercive measures, noting their detrimental impact on the world’s most vulnerable populations.  Such measures hurt many nations’ abilities to meet the SDGs and to ensure that “no one is left behind”, he added.

LOK BAHADUR THAPA ( Nepal ), speaking on behalf of the Group of Least Developed Countries , pointed out that the eradication of poverty and hunger are the foremost and overarching objectives of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, which are fundamental for least developed countries — host to over half of the world’s extreme poor — as they face “unprecedented levels of hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition exacerbated by their pre-existing structural constraints and vulnerabilities”.  She said that agriculture, being the most important sector of the economy for these countries, has been hard hit by conflicts and geopolitical tensions, leading to high costs of agricultural inputs and fertilizer shortages, a result of which “about two-thirds of people facing extreme poverty in the world are workers and families in the agriculture sector”.  Climate change has become an automated and imported crisis for the least developed countries, she said, adversely impacting agricultural productivity and food insecurity.

These issues, together with multidimensional poverty, which has widened the existing global inequality gap, contribute to the growing global inequality in low-income countries.  She said the social protection system of the least developed countries is the weakest in the world, cautioning that “the extreme conditions faced by the world’s poorest cannot remain ignored and unacted”.  There is therefore a need for collective commitment in order to “bring hope to the lives at the bottom”.  She further urged development partners and the United Nations system to materialize the commitment to providing enhanced funding for developing innovative solutions to specific problems in least developed countries.  Modernization and industrialization of agriculture in these countries is urgently needed, along with increased investment in early warning systems, identification of areas likely to escalate food insecurity, and well-targeted social protection measures in response to climate change. Noting that these countries require climate as well as financial justice, she said “we need to act together and act now”.

BRIAN CHRISTOPHER MANLEY WALLACE ( Jamaica ), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and associating himself with the Group of 77 and China and the Alliance of Small Island Developing States, said “there was no global progress on reducing food insecurity” in 2022, adding that in the English-speaking Caribbean it had risen to 46 per cent.  Furthermore, the situation in Haiti is a cause for deep concern, with over half of its population chronically food insecure. “Many parts of the Latin America and Caribbean region will become drier,” he warned, citing climate change forecasts and calling for major global investments to mitigate the challenges faced by the agricultural sector in the developing world.

“CARICOM’s common agriculture policy incorporates initiatives to address rural modernization and youth involvement, including climate-smart agriculture,” he said, stressing the importance of improving the quality of life in rural communities.  Reminding that CARICOM countries import more than 75 per cent of their food, he informed about the bloc’s plan to reduce regional imports by 25 per cent by 2025.  “We are also developing a cross-border agrifood investment strategy to bolster production corridors,” he said, calling for the prevention and ending of conflicts, as well as for ensuring access to finance, including climate finance, and to relevant technologies. “CARICOM reiterates our call for the reform of the international financial architecture,” he concluded.

DANG HOANG GIANG ( Viet Nam ), speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), aligned himself with the Group of 77 and China and said that agriculture accounts for a substantial share of Southeast Asia’s economy, providing employment for as many as 32 per cent of the population and 22 per cent of gross domestic production.  Its contribution towards poverty eradication and reduction of hunger and malnutrition is significant, he said, adding that sustainable agriculture and food systems are important to ensure the availability, accessibility, utilization, affordability and sustainability of food products for all.  He expressed commitment to the redoubling of efforts towards regional food security by strengthening agriculture productivity and through the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices.  He also recognized the importance of an early warning system and rapid response to ensure food availability in times of crisis.

He said the reduction of poverty and the promotion of rural development are key priorities, and he highlighted important progress and commitments such as strategic initiatives that leverage regional cooperation to accelerate inclusive development and reduce poverty.  He also pointed to the leveraging of new growth drivers to unleash the region’s growth potential.  They included, he said, the promotion of global supply chains, trade and investment, the acceleration of the digital transformation, enhancing efforts to achieve the Green Economy, recognizing the great value and potential of the Blue Economy as a new engine of future economic growth and strengthening people-to-people exchange to break barriers. 

ASBINA MARIN SEVILLA ( Venezuela ), speaking for the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations , said reducing poverty in all its forms and eradicating hunger has long been a focus of the international community.  “We must be humble enough to realize that, for one reason or another”, the world is off-track in achieving those goals.  She reported that an estimated 670 million people, or 8.4 per cent of the global population, could continue to live in extreme poverty, while up to 783 million, or 9.2 per cent of the population, are currently experiencing hunger.  This represents a pandemic which is affecting all efforts towards achieving the 2030 Agenda.

She further stressed that unilateral coercive measures constitute a flagrant violation of the Charter and international law, given their wide scope of effect and extraterritorial implications — deliberately exacerbating the multilevel crises affecting the international community and prolonging human suffering.  “They must be brought to an end,” she affirmed, as the illegal application of such measures, targeting civilian populations, impedes the full achievement of economic and social development.  Emphasizing that these measures make it nearly impossible to purchase equipment, software and spare parts for the agricultural sector, she recalled the joint statement by FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Bank in 2022, affirming that such measures contribute to the rise of food prices. The international community has a moral responsibility to current and future generations “to correct the path and do it now”, she stated.

GLADYS MOKHAWA ( Botswana ), speaking on behalf of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries , said that the challenges facing the world are vast. Landlocked developing countries are among the most and hardest hit by myriad crises, including the COVID‑19 pandemic, supply shocks, the international crises in oil, gas and food, and soaring inflation.  “Retail prices in our countries remain higher than pre-pandemic averages,” she added.  Landlocked developing countries are facing increasingly complex trade-offs between fighting inflation, preserving financial stability and supporting inclusive economic recovery.  Many citizens depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. The devastating impact of climate change on this sector poses a significant challenge.  Food insecurity has recently spiked, as have global food costs.

There is a need to support landlocked developing countries to achieve efficient transit including by helping them build the necessary infrastructure, she went on to say.  Many landlocked developing countries are dependent on primary commodities as sources of economic strength.  It is therefore critical to support these countries in economic structural transformation, she added.  Addressing the impact of climate change is also critical for this group of countries. However, landlocked developing countries are often left out of conversations on climate change. International support is necessary to help those vulnerable countries charter a path for their sustainable development.

ISAIA LAUTASI ( Samoa ), speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States and aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, said because the global development blueprint highlights the urgency of eradicating poverty and hunger, the Group considers agricultural development, food security and nutrition critical.  Reversal of progress in this regard is therefore a source of concern for small island developing States.  Pointing out the absence of global progress in reducing food insecurity in 2022 as revealed in the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023, he called for “drastic action to reverse this disturbing trend,” adding that, as these States depend largely on food imports, they have addressed issues on food security in relation to fisheries and agriculture.  However, this approach poses difficulties of healthy diet maintenance, equitable distribution of costs and revenues, and sustainability, as well as the central consideration of sufficient food for everyone.  Persistent crises therefore underscore the need to holistically address these challenges.

He said the Group agrees with several of the recommendations, particularly the need for Governments to recommit to “seven years of accelerated, sustained and transformative action, both nationally and internationally, to deliver on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals”.  While these are “sound proposals,” he said the impediments to their implementation must be addressed, chief of which is the finance problem.  The Group therefore continues its calls to development partners to deliver on their commitments in line with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda for resources and investments needed for developing countries to achieve the SDGs.  It also calls for a reform of the international financial architecture and underscores “the negative impact climate change is having on our ambition,” while it continues leading calls for the delivery of climate finance, including the annual $100 billion commitment, and the Early Warnings for All initiative.

Mr. AL-KHAYAREEN ( Qatar ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that his State allocated $60 million to support the Doha Programme of Action.  “My country played an immense role in meeting the priorities of least developed countries,” he underscored, adding that Qatar attaches great importance to agriculture development, food security and nutrition. “Our development cooperation with the Bill [and Melinda] Gates Foundation has pledged $200 billion to support comprehensive and climate-smart agriculture development in Sub-Saharan Africa,” he stressed, also noting the allocation by his country of $90 million to WFP for meeting food needs in Yemen and $10 million for acute food security needs.

BARAHONA FIGUEROA ( El Salvador ) aligned herself with the Group of 77 and China and said that the lack of advancement of the SDGs has a significant impact on developing countries, affecting the poorest and most vulnerable. She pointed to policies that are people-focused with social investment and prioritization of early childhood initiatives.  She called for rethinking means of measurements so that no one is left behind, adding that focusing on the economic aspect to measure progress will only lead to greater gaps.  She said the middle-income trap is a reality.  It is a global challenge that affects people in most of the world.  She highlighted sustainable agriculture practices designed to improve the living situation of the rural poor who depend on livestock and farming, such as modernizing the rural infrastructure and technology.

MARKOVA CONCEPCIÓN JARAMILLO ( Panama ), aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China, noted that according to World Bank estimates, 670 million people were living in conditions of extreme poverty in 2022, an increase of 70 million people compared to projections prior to the pandemic.  Given current trends, by 2030, two thirds of the world’s countries will fail to meet the goal of halving the national poverty rate.  In Panama, like other territories in Latin America and the Caribbean, the rate of poverty and extreme poverty is much higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Those areas are the basis of family farming producing most of the food for local consumption; yet paradoxically, the countryside has the lowest schooling rates, and women have less participation in the labour market.  She noted that 15 October is the International Day of Rural Women, calling for efforts to spotlight their invaluable contribution to development.

CHARLENE ARAVEJO BERIANNA ( Philippines ), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China and ASEAN, highlighted that her Government aims to reinvigorate job creation and accelerate poverty reduction. Mindful that poverty continues to be overwhelmingly rural and is primarily concentrated in the agricultural sector, the Philippines has ongoing projects and programmes to achieve rural development, and to modernize and strengthen the resiliency of agriculture and agribusiness, with technical, capacity-building and financial support to farmers and fisherfolk.  The Philippine Rural Development Program seeks to increase rural incomes and enhance farm and fishery productivity in targeted areas by supporting smallholders and fishers, she said.  With a whole-of-nation approach, the Philippines is fast-tracking efforts to achieve greater access to safer and more nutritious food towards healthier and more sustainable consumption patterns.  The international community must prioritize ending hunger and poverty, she further stressed.

Ms. JALILI ( Iran ), aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, said eradicating poverty in all its forms is the greatest global challenge today and an “indispensable requirement for sustainable development”.  Recent reports show that the world is not on track to end poverty, which is on the increase in different regions, particularly in the Middle East.  Her country is committed to prioritizing poverty reduction through a broad range of economic, environmental and social policies, which include implementation of targeted subsidy systems on essential goods and services, promoting job creation and diversifying its economy. It is also undertaking critical projects in rural areas and promoting women’s participation in education, employment and political representation.  Describing unilateral coercive measures as a “main source of increasing poverty among targeted countries”, her delegation calls for their immediate lifting.  She further called on the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to actively pursue inclusive and sustainable development and help build resilience in developing countries.

VÁSQUEZ SOLANO, youth delegate of Mexico , said that millions of people still live in poverty, hunger and malnutrition are on the rise and the effects of climate change become more evident.  “We need a new development paradigm that seeks to redistribute power and wealth and decrease the gap between developing countries and advanced countries,” he said, adding that his country was able to lift 5.1 million people out of poverty in the last four years.  “Mexico advocates for an approach based on food security as a driver that contributes to peace and, at the same time, condemns the interruption of supply chains, inputs and basic foods as a form of coercion,” he stressed, adding that never before has there been vast access to a body of knowledge, technology and resources to eradicate poverty and hunger, as well as protect the planet.

ETOUNDI AYISSI ( Cameroon ) aligned himself with the Group of 77 and China and the African Group and took notes of the reports presented to the Committee.  He expressed concern over the increased number of people in distress and poverty around the world and reiterated his commitment to the 2030 Agenda and leaving no one behind.  The eradication of poverty is the greatest global challenge facing the world and should therefore be at the centre of the international community’s efforts, he said, calling for the effective implementation of visionary policies for sustainable and inclusive growth.  He highlighted policies in Cameroon to promote employment, gender equality, better health care and social protection, climate change mitigation and the modernization of agriculture and rural development.  Challenges include insecurity and instability, the crushing weight of debt servicing, protectionism and worsening terms of trade, he said, adding that this is not a challenge that one country can overcome alone. 

MATEUS PEDRO LUEMBA ( Angola ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China and the African Group, noted the country’s Government has been responding to the challenges of climate change by developing structural programmes to make rural communities more resilient.  It has been building water transport and storage infrastructures, including the water channel “Cafu” project, to capture and transfer water from the Cunene River to several villages in the Cunene Province, to mitigate the effects of drought in populated, agricultural and livestock production areas.  The Government has also implemented a social assistance programme called “Kwenda” to provide cash income transfers to the most vulnerable families and has created a food reserve to counter the adverse social effects of natural disasters.  He emphasized that the potential to become a key exporting nation on the African continent can bring numerous benefits, including attracting investment and promoting regional integration.

KANTAPON SANGKHAPREECHA ( Thailand ), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China and ASEAN, reiterated that the eradication of poverty is the overarching goal of the 2030 Agenda. “We have made progress, as there are no persons living under [the] international poverty line in Thailand since 2016,” he said.  Thailand has been investing in improving quality of life for vulnerable groups and low-income families, notably through providing access to universal health coverage and quality education.  Thailand also believes that food insecurity in developing countries has often been a key impediment to eradicating poverty, he said, calling for the international community, including relevant international organizations, to intensify efforts in assisting developing countries to enhance their agricultural production capacity.  This could be achieved through improvement of farming techniques and ensuring access to quality food and improved nutrition, he said.

VOLODYMYR LESCHENKO   ( Ukraine ), expressing his country’s solidarity with innocent victims of the large-scale terrorist attack against Israel, said the “horrifying images” not only remind his delegation of the cities of Bucha, Irpin and Mariupol in April 2022, but also impress upon the world that terror must be stopped and perpetrators held accountable.  He echoed the Secretary-General’s report of a decline in progress on sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition, reiterating that “Ukraine will not give up its role as a guarantor of global food security, even under the current extraordinary circumstances”.  Food volumes exported around the world would have been much higher had the Russian Federation not systematically obstructed the normal functioning of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in its attempt to weaponize the global food shortage.  He expressed his country’s great interest in ending the war, adding that the sooner it “ends and respect for international law is restored, the sooner the international community will be able to address food security problems more effectively”.

Mr. HYON ( Democratic People’s Republic of Korea ) called for strengthening international cooperation for agricultural development and finding a solution to the food problem.  “Nowadays, developing countries, including those in Africa, are most severely hit by the global food crisis,” he said, calling for the removal of artificial factors that lead to creating and aggravating the crisis.  “Such behaviours of imposing sanctions against others, stockpiling excess food only for self-interest and extracting biofuel from agricultural products hinder agricultural development and prevent many people from getting out of the vicious cycle of hunger,” he stressed, adding that valuable successes have been made by taking practical measures to increase agricultural production and solve food problems in his country.  “Thanks to the efforts of our Government to make all rural villages into the ideal community of civilization, modern rural houses have been built in all parts of the country and distributed to farmers without any cost,” he said.

CARLOS IVAN ZAMBRANA FLORES ( Bolivia ) aligned himself with the Group of 77 and China, the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries and the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations.  He said eradicating poverty and strengthening agricultural development is key to achieving the SDGs and highlighted the need for equity.  He pointed to substantial progress in the redistribution of land, technology and the means of production.  Smallholders in rural areas are important, he said, expressing commitment to their financial and technical empowerment.  Food security and food sovereignty must be addressed as a vital part of the development of people, he added, stressing the need to tackle aspects of agriculture and food dependency based on fair trade.  He said Indigenous Peoples and their traditional know-how can help build productive systems and solve some of these challenges. Developing countries must be able to address consumption and production patterns with different kinds of fiscal policies, he said.

Ms. NASHWA ( Maldives ), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China and the Alliance of Small Island States, noted that climate change poses a relentless threat to the food and water security of small island developing States.  Climate extremes have severely hampered agricultural productivity in Maldives, while coral bleaching and ocean acidification are destroying the marine ecosystem upon which many of the islands rely for protein:  fish, as her country is among the highest fish-consuming States in the world.  Further, illegal and unreported fishing and competition for resources threaten the fishery sector.  Her country remains committed to banning harmful fishing methods.  She additionally affirmed that, as the country imports over 90 per cent of its food, it is diversifying the agriculture sector to improve food security, identifying 17 crops for cultivation across 44 islands and launching a link of ferry services to connect widely dispersed atolls.

Ms. NZUMBU ( Kenya ), aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China and the African Group, said that vulnerable populations, including the poor, small-scale food producers, women, youth, persons with disabilities and children, are disproportionately affected by the global food and energy crisis, leading to increased humanitarian needs.  Kenya is actively pursuing the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, with agricultural transformation as one of the five strategic sectors, she said, spotlighting the aim to create the most jobs “at the bottom of the pyramid” and to expand access to quality social services in health, education and appropriate social safety nets.  “Notably, neglecting women’s role and investments in agriculture deprives economies of opportunities for steady growth, leading to higher unemployment, poverty and inequality,” she said, calling for effective multilateralism, collaboration and solidarity.

MAURIZIO MASSARI ( Italy ) said that eliminating poverty and hunger must continue to be at the top of international course of action.  Global hunger is on the rise, with around 735 million people on average facing chronic hunger due to the combined and lasting impacts of the pandemic, climate change and conflicts, and further jeopardized by the global effects of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, affecting in particular the Global South.  Italy welcomes the new Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Food Systems Transformation launched in Rome as one of the key outcomes of the Summit and calls on all Member States to rally around it.  Displacement is a driver and outcome of food insecurity, with forcibly displaced people reaching more than 108 million people.  Agrifood systems account for one third of total greenhouse gas emissions and, at the same time, they are highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, he added.

Mr. PISAREVICH ( Belarus ), citing the need to show leadership, said that such leadership was demonstrated by the Russian Federation, which donated dozens of tons of grain to a number of African countries that have been most affected by the global food crisis, as well as by China, which, through its Global Development Initiative, provides serious assistance to developing countries.  “Sanctions by Western governments against Belarus and Russia — introduced, by the way, without a United Nations mandate — have led last year to a significant drop in the supply of fertilizers and grain on international markets,” he said, adding that these restrictions set off a chain of events that ultimately caused the ongoing global food security crisis and hunger for millions of people.  He added that Belarus is one of the biggest producers of potash fertilizers and traditionally accounted for 20 per cent of global trade in this product.  “Today this figure is only 9 per cent,” he stressed, spotlighting that Belarus’ share in African potash markets fell from 41.7 per cent in 2021 to 2.8 per cent in 2022.

NEVILLE MELVIN GERTZE ( Namibia ) said many of the SDG goals, including poverty reduction, improved health and access to quality education, intersect with sustainable food production and food security, and expressed his concern that by 2030, 30 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa is anticipated to still be living in extreme poverty.  He cited analysis from the World Bank, which suggests that eradicating extreme poverty in the region would require each country to have an annual growth rate of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of 9 per cent beginning in 2023.  Given that these economies grew by an average of 1.2 per cent annually in the decade preceding COVID‑19, that is a challenge.  He also spoke to the gaps in income and wealth distribution, a legacy of colonialism and apartheid, which are a threat to global security and harmony. He pointed to progress in reducing poverty, even though the results have been uneven across the country, citing among other things the addition of food banks that aims to combat hunger and provide nutrition for the most vulnerable.

BOKOUM MAHAMADOU ( Burkina Faso ) said the percentage of people suffering from hunger is much higher in Africa than elsewhere in the world, and that his Government has factored malnutrition and poverty reduction efforts into its national development plans. Noting that his country’s current particularly difficult security crisis context “exacerbates the risk of people falling into poverty, particularly those living in localities plagued by terrorism”, he said his Government has, together with development partners, developed and implemented programmes and policies aimed at reducing inequality. It also, in 2015, adopted the law on the universal health insurance scheme, which aims to provide basic health coverage for all Burkinabés by 2027.  Other projects for women, children and the elderly have been undertaken.  He noted that the fight against poverty requires a synergy of actions by all actors and solicited the support of the international community towards defeating the terrorist group Hydra.

CAO LIWEN ( China ), aligning herself with the Group of 77 and her country, said the international community must place great emphasis on poverty reduction, especially in rural areas.  Developed countries should assist least developed countries with investment, technology and capacity-building, and work towards promoting a more just and reasonable global economic order.  She noted that poverty and hunger are two aspects of the same issue, requiring a whole-of-society approach cutting across industry, technology, education and cultural sectors in forming solutions.  As the world’s largest developing country, China has achieved complete victory in eradicating extreme poverty, and its efforts are a useful example for other States. At the same time, it works to reduce poverty in other States through South-South cooperation, working with the FAO, WFP and other organizations, operationalizing 130 projects in 60 countries covering 30 million people.

AHMED ABDELRAHMAN AHMED ALI ALMAHMOUD ( United Arab Emirates ) said that his Government spares no effort to support food security, having allocated $1.5 billion to this objective in the past five years.  He looked forward to the hosting of the twenty-eighth UN Climate Change Conference, whose aim will be to support international efforts to reduce food waste, accelerate food security initiatives and strengthen food production chains.  He noted several initiatives aiming to make progress on agricultural programmes and combat malnutrition.  The United Arab Emirates is committed to providing annual support to FAO.  He reiterated that his Government will continue to support all actions to help the international community achieve global food security.

PETAL GAHLOT ( India ) aligned herself with the Group of 77 and China and said that her country has lifted about 415 million people out of poverty over 15 years, contributing to the decline in poverty levels in South Asia. However, COVID‑19 and geopolitical conflicts have impacted the global gains of the previous decade.  Countries must urgently implement social policies to mitigate the impacts of the crises, get back on track and build resilience, she said, citing a priority-sector lending approach that protects key economic sectors from severe external shocks and propels structural transformation.  An important element in India’s poverty reduction efforts has been the focus on rural poverty.  Through targeted policy intervention, multidimensional poverty in rural India has declined faster in the last decade, she said, adding that more than 70 per cent of rural Indian households rely on agriculture as the principal source of livelihood.  She said India has built resilient food stocks, ensuring food security for more than 800 million of its citizens during the last three years.

Mr. NGUYEN ( Viet Nam ), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China and ASEAN, said that “no poverty and zero hunger” are rightly the first two Goals, as sustainable development would be neither achievable nor meaningful if people all over the world still suffered from hunger and poverty.  Echoing the Secretary-General’s report that about 670 million people were in extreme poverty in 2022, with 9.2 per cent of the world still in hunger, he said “comprehensive and concrete measures are needed to address these challenges”.  His delegation believes that ensuring food security is crucial to address these challenges.  Transforming food systems in a more sustainable and resilient manner is imperative to better withstand and recover from multiple crises.  Financing this therefore needs to be comprehensive and consistent at all levels, he added, stating that providing decent jobs must also be prioritized.  His country therefore welcomes the initiatives of the Secretary-General on the Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection and the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Global Coalition for Social Justice.

MARITZA CHAN VALVERDE   ( Costa Rica ) said that her country is investing in strengthening social protection tailored to the specific needs of each population group and eliminating barriers that hinder access.  She informed that female hygiene products have been included in the basic basket, which primarily serves the 30 per cent of the population with the lowest income, and women’s access to the labour market is promoted.  “We are making progress in key areas such as sustainability; resilience, mitigation and adaptation to climate change; strengthening family farming; financial inclusion; and the use of technological tools,” she stressed, adding that Costa Rica maintains an equitable trade-off between the agrolandscape and its conservation areas, achieving zero net deforestation and zero emissions.

TAHMINA HASANOVA ( Tajikistan ), aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said that the future of the planet, with its rapid population growth, urbanization and changing consumption patterns, depends on the world’s actions to provide food security and nutrition.  Challenges such as climate change and its economic impact delay the attainment of the SDGs, she said, adding that COVID-19 has put extraordinary pressures on food systems around the world.  According to FAO, 3.2 billion people in 2022 live in agricultural areas with water shortages or scarcity, she said.  Many of these areas are found in developing countries with severe implications for food security.  Tajikistan faces several environmental challenges, including land degradation, she said, adding that her Government has identified food security and access to good quality nutrition as one of its development priorities.

LINOUSE VILMENAY JOSEPH ( Haiti ), aligning herself with CARICOM, the Group of 77 and China, the Alliance of Small Island States and the Group of Least Developed Countries, noted her country faces major economic, social and environmental problems, with the deterioration of the security situation also generating a new humanitarian crisis in recent weeks, with displaced people spontaneously occupying several sites to escape gang violence.  These challenges are enormous, she stressed, requiring bold measures to promote an accelerated recovery and guarantee the socioeconomic development of everyone.  She declared that “the commitment to leave no one behind must move from words to action.” Her Government initiated a participatory process aimed at merging two key priority areas:  eradication of poverty and structural transformation of food systems. She further cited the priority of science, technology and innovation, and the application of a new approach to the modernization of the agricultural sector.

MUSA GARBA MAITAFSIR ( Nigeria ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China and the African Group, called for re-evaluating existing agricultural interventions and policies.  “Collaborative initiatives involving African Governments, enterprises and international research institutes are critical to drive agricultural development as a means to alleviate poverty,” he stressed, urging to deepen initiatives to eradicate poverty and ensure food security, especially in Africa, where the population is expected to increase exponentially by 2050.  “We call for an open, non-discriminatory, rule-based international trading system that affords developing countries, especially those in Africa, the latitude to trade and the requisite support to boost local manufacturing,” he said, adding that Nigeria has taken bold measures, including declaring a state of emergency on food security and plans to spend 75 billion naira to fund 75 enterprises to boost productivity.

MATETE PAUL NENA ( Lesotho ) said that now is the time to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.  He underscored the importance of supporting the African Union’s Agenda 2063, especially the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, which remains the cornerstone for the continent’s food and nutrition security and economic growth.  He said farmers are encouraged to specialize and engage in more productive methods of farming to increase output, adding that those without the resources are encouraged to participate in “block farming”, under which the Government shoulders the entire cost of production and allocates 20 per cent of the produce to the landowners, a policy that led to increased production during the last cropping season, he said.  COVID‑19 disrupted the global food supply chains and left most of the world’s population dependent on agricultural imports at exorbitant prices, a lesson in the need to scale up efforts towards a more resilient and sustainable food system, he said.

CARLA MARIA RODRÍGUEZ MANCIA ( Guatemala ) reminded that hunger has a human face, and those most vulnerable to malnutrition are children under 5 years of age, women in extreme poverty and rural populations.  Her country has also witnessed how climate change has become a driver of hunger, destroying crops and productive infrastructure, increasing poverty and migratory flows.  This requires investing in innovative agricultural technologies, promoting productivity and open trade.  Further, the resilience of agrifood systems must be strengthened through social protection programmes, early warning systems, agricultural insurance and livelihood diversification.  She pointed to the WFP Pro-Resilience project, which seeks to contribute to improving the food security and nutritional status of 60 communities in the dry north-eastern corridor of Guatemala, by generating income through productive activities and involvement of women in entrepreneurship at the local level. Guatemala has further made progress in implementing its “Great National Crusade for Nutrition”.

Mr. GIRMAY ( Ethiopia ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, the Group of Least Developed Countries and the African Group, said that the developing States are having the heaviest burden while persistent droughts in Africa further threaten food security. “Since 2005, Ethiopia has been implementing the social protection system,” he stressed, adding that the key areas for intervention were identified as increasing small farm   productivity and expanding large-scale commercial farming.  “Our Government remains stiff in its commitment to intensify efforts to combat poverty, generate employment opportunities, especially for youth and women, all with the goal of fostering inclusive and sustainable economy growth,” he stated.

Ms. BARBA ( Ecuador ), aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China, said eradicating poverty is a priority, especially since it goes beyond monetary resources to cover a set of deprivations that require attention, especially the vulnerable and those in rural areas.  Financial institutions need to focus on capacity-building, she said, and added that external crises, including climate change, jeopardize food security.  In support of accomplishing the 2030 Agenda, she cited several strategic areas, among them better production, better nutrition and better environment, to achieve a better life.  She spoke of work to transform national agrifood systems with low environmental impact, which includes inclusive dialogue that makes the contribution of women more visible.  Another priority has been the successful reduction of chronic infant malnutrition, she said, adding that around 20,000 infants now have a better future.

ROYSTON ALKINS ( Guyana ), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, the Alliance of Small Island States and CARICOM, warned that only about one-third of countries will meet the target to halve national poverty levels — and shockingly, the world is back at hunger levels not seen since 2005, with food prices remaining higher in more countries than in the period from 2015 to 2019.  In that vein, he called on relevant parties to end all geopolitical conflicts and take action to halt and reverse the effects of climate change, including delivering on climate finance.  Guyana, he recalled, is endowed with vast forests, farmlands and freshwater resources.  However, more must be done to achieve food security, and he noted that the country is spearheading CARICOM’s Agriculture and Food Security agenda to reduce the regional food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025.

Ms. ALMEZYAD ( Kuwait ) said that combating poverty in all its dimensions is a major pillar for the implementation of the SDGs and a fundamental focus of her Government.  Kuwait’s Constitution highlights the importance of social solidarity and building prosperity for all.  “We are deploying efforts to ensure social protections and coverage,” she added.  Kuwait has also deployed great efforts to combat poverty across its own territory through Government assistance programmes in an equitable manner in hopes of strengthening social cohesion.  “We are particularly committed to reaching all of those in need, especially the elderly, women, persons living with disabilities,” she emphasized.  Further, Kuwait has extended “a generous hand” to least developed countries.  “We must have greater international cooperation in order to achieve our goals, most notably, [to] eradicate poverty,” she added.

MARY BETH LEONARD ( United States ) said that her country remains committed to improving global food and nutrition security.  “Since January 2021, we have provided more than $17.5 billion to address global food insecurity,” she said, spotlighting that in 2022 alone the United States contributed over $7.2 billion to WFP, which fed more than 160 million people in 120 countries and territories.  That amounted to more than half of WFP’s budget, she underlined.  “The world’s population will grow to 10 billion people by 2050, and demand for food will increase by 50 per cent,” she noted, adding that agricultural yields are decreasing.  “One of the biggest threats to global food security is Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the world’s breadbasket,” she stated, spotlighting that the Russian Federation is weaponizing food by directly targeting Ukraine’s ports and grain exports infrastructure.

EMERY GABI ( Congo ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that after recording substantial progress in reducing extreme poverty, the world now finds itself in a state of indescribable poverty, with climate change and environmental degradation among the challenges.  He added that food insecurity disproportionately affects women and people in rural areas.  He called for urgent action to reverse the negative trends and accelerate progress, highlighting the need to connect rural and urban areas with infrastructure, public goods and capacity-building.  Various initiatives, especially the implementation of national development plans, have helped restructure and diversify the economy and lay the foundation for sustainable growth, he said.  Among other victories are improved access to clean drinking water as well as better access to electricity.  In conclusion, he said, “eradicating poverty in all its forms is essential.”

ALAN EBUN GEORGE ( Sierra Leone ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Least Developed Countries, warned that increasing inequality and poverty has forced thousands of vibrant youths to cross the Mediterranean into Europe in search of greener pastures.  The consequence of this persistent migration has led to brain drain and low agricultural output that has adversely impacted the domestic economies of developing countries.  To develop human capital, the Government has allocated 21 per cent of its budget to education, while offering scholarships to female students studying science, technology, innovation and engineering in university and colleges.  The country has engaged in various rice production projects including cultivating 264 hectares of farm rice using combined harvesters and threshers to dramatically increase production output and meet domestic demands.  Similarly, the fisheries and the aquaculture sectors have huge potential to reduce food insecurity.

Mr. ALSINDI ( Bahrain ) said that food insecurity affects 260 million people worldwide, 35 million are facing famine and hundreds of thousands are near famine conditions.  Bahrain has made efforts towards agricultural development as well as the development of water resources as part of its national food strategy.  Bahrain seeks to ensure food security through innovations aimed at increasing the quantity of food produced locally.  It is also making efforts to address the betterment of imports, trade and investments.  “We have implemented a number of projects which include arable lands for agricultural investments,” he added.  Bahrain is also trying to expand the fishing sector by 2027 and will continue to harness and grow partnerships for development with regional actors. 

LUIZ FELIPE ROSA DOS SANTOS ( Brazil ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that contemporary challenges, including geopolitical tensions and multiplying humanitarian crises around the globe, are complex and intertwined.  There is a need to get back on track to achieve the 2030 Agenda, he said, adding that the path to a sustainable future must start by strengthening efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger and reduce global inequalities.  There were 122 million more people in 2022 facing chronic hunger than there were in 2019, and at the current pace, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030, he said, noting a return to trade protectionism and unilateral measures that aggravate the situation. He pointed to a national cash-transfer programme that ensures a minimal income and grants additional funds per family for each child or teenager, a policy that has lifted 3.4 million people from extreme poverty.

Mr. MANDLAPER ( South Africa ), aligning himself with the Group of 77, called for targeted investment as well as technology transfer and capacity-building support, including key areas such as industrialization, agriculture, energy, education, health, information and communications technologies and water.  Ensuring sustainable development that is both just and inclusive requires collective action by all countries, sectors and actors. Calling for urgent and effective action at the United Nations on illicit financial flows and taxation, he added: “We condemn the unilateral protectionist measures taken by some countries, under the pretext of climate change and environmental crises, that distort trade and impose conditionality on multilateral or bilateral support, including carbon border adjustment mechanisms and taxes.”

ANDRÉS NAPURÍ PITA ( Peru ), aligning himself with the Group of 77, noted that around the world more than one in four workers are engaged in agriculture, mostly as self-employed and unpaid family workers.  Moreover, in the agricultural sector, 93.6 per cent of workers have informal employment.  Stressing the sector’s importance, he cited the example of the potato.  Originally from the South American Andes, it is grown today on all continents, in more than 150 countries, with consumption having doubled in the last 30 years.  Cultivated on an area of 24 million hectares, potatoes currently have an estimated global production of 470 million tons.  Given it is one of the five main basic foods of humanity — a tuber that plays a fundamental role in agriculture, the economy and global food and nutritional security — he said that Peru will introduce a draft resolution that would have the General Assembly declare 30 May as the International Day of the Potato. 

MD FARUK HOSSAIN ( Bangladesh ), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that many people in rural areas lack access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food year-round.  Food insecurity affects the goal of gender equality as well, as women and girls suffer disproportionately in the face of poverty, chronic hunger and malnutrition. Bangladesh has become self-sufficient in food production through a combination of agricultural transformations, climate adaptation and the prudent use of land.  Developing countries need uninterrupted access to fertilizer, he also added.  He stressed the need to prioritize security in countries in special situations.  Least developed, landlocked developing and small island developing States are disproportionately affected by global shocks, including food market volatility.  This must be addressed at all levels through collective action.  He further emphasized the need to mobilize all stakeholders towards that goal, including donors, international financial organizations, the UN system and other global partners.

HAFIZA HUMAIRA JAVAID ( Pakistan ), aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China, said that poverty is the root cause of food insecurity and malnutrition, socioeconomic instability and political and security problems.  In 2022, Pakistan faced a food emergency due to unprecedented floods — affecting 3 million people — caused by adverse effects of climate change, she said, adding that the total damage to the national economy was $30 billion, in addition to 1,700 lives lost.  One third of the country was under water, sending as many as 9.1 million people into poverty.  Global measures are required, she said, including reforming the international financial architecture, providing food producers with access to seeds and fertilizers, eliminating massive agriculture subsidies and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

İLKNUR DEMİR ( Türkiye ) said the increasing frequency and intensity of natural hazards have triggered famine and food insecurity, pointing out that 9.2 per cent of the world’s population faced chronic hunger in 2022 compared to 7.9 per cent in 2015 while food insecurity increased significantly to 29.6 per cent in 2022 from 25.3 per cent in 2019.  “There isn’t a country in the world where food security isn’t a concern,” she said.  “This is simply unacceptable.”  It is essential to intensify collective efforts, she said, noting how earthquakes in February severely impacted provinces critical for agricultural production. Strengthening the capabilities of vulnerable countries through science, technology and innovation is key to support the 2030 Agenda, she said, adding that the Black Sea Grain Initiative eased lowest-income countries’ access to food products and has allowed more than 32.8 million tons of various grain products to reach the world markets since 2022.

MUHAMMAD ZULASRI BIN ROSDI ( Malaysia ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China and ASEAN, noted his Government has spent more than $215 million in 2023 to accelerate poverty eradication programmes, increasing the income of more than 50,000 extremely poor households, providing appropriate training, start-up capital and incentives for agriculture, marketing and digitalization projects.  Malaysia has effectively reshaped its economy, elevated living standards and transitioned from a low-income to an upper-middle-income economy in a single generation.  Furthermore, the gross national income per capita has expanded 38‑fold, from $347 in 1970 to $13,382 in 2023, with absolute poverty reduced from 7.6 per cent in 2016 to 6.2 per cent in 2022.  He noted that Malaysia also continues its efforts to tackle food security issues with national policies in line with the four pillars outlined by FAO:  availability, access, utilization and stability.

RENATA CHIVUNDU ( Malawi ), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China, the Group of Least Developed Countries and the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, said that given current trends, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty by 2030, while approximately 670 million people will still be facing hunger.  Agriculture anchors Malawi’s economy, directly accounting for about a quarter of the country’s GDP.  Agriculture significantly contributes to employment, economic growth, export earnings, poverty reduction, food security and nutrition.  Still, many of Malawi’s farmers use traditional methods of farming and depend on rain for their crops.  “It is a moral duty of each one of us to prioritize and implement comprehensive strategies that empower vulnerable populations to break free from the cycle of poverty,” she said.  The international community needs to come up with a multifaceted approach that combines short-term relief and long-term sustainability.

SAŠA MART ( Serbia ) said the transformation of agrifood systems can advance progress on several SDG targets, enabling access to safe and nutritious food, reducing environmental impacts and increasing resilience vis-à-vis conflict and climate change, while also contributing to peace and security.  The Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy has among its goals stability and production growth, increased competitiveness, sustainable resource management and environmental protection.  He also expressed Serbia’s commitment to the implementation of the National Roadmap for Food System Transformation, which was presented at the UN Food Systems Summit in New York in 2021.  Increased investment in agriculture research and development is key, he said, highlighting the building of irrigation systems, hail protection systems, storage facilities and collection centers with refrigeration equipment for storing fruits and vegetables to strengthen the agriculture sector and make it more resilient in the face of climate change.

HARI PRABOWO ( Indonesia ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China as well as ASEAN, said that agriculture is not just a sector of the economy but is the backbone of many communities, especially in the developing world.  “Indonesia has developed a national pathway for transforming our food system and agriculture,” he stressed, adding that his Government encourages more multi-stakeholder platforms supported by national civil society organizations.  “Let us remember that the fight against extreme poverty is not just a moral imperative,” he stressed, urging an acceleration of both the transformation to more resilient agriculture and food systems and the ensuring of food availability and accessibility.

Mr. BAKHSH ( Saudi Arabia ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, noted the Government has provided $3 million in food security assistance and is working to unify 10 development funds nationally and regionally.  While recalling that there has been some development progress, he affirmed that achieving the SDGs remains difficult.  His country’s Saudi Vision 2030 focuses on building a sustainable agriculture sector while promoting supporting sectors, has adopted a strategy for food security, and is addressing climate change and water shortage.  The Government has further launched a number of initiatives, including a national programme to reduce food loss and waste and to encourage food recycling.  Emphasizing the role of the UN and its agencies in all these areas, he stressed: “We believe in a dignified life for everyone.”

Mr. MUNGANDI ( Zambia ), associating himself with the Group of Least Developed Countries, the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries and the Group of 77 and China, said that his State, like most in Africa, has been grappling with the challenge of high poverty levels.  This has been exacerbated by the effects of multiple challenges, including climate change and the pandemic.  National poverty levels have remained high, increasing from 54.4 per cent in 2015 to 60.0 per cent in 2022.  Some key interventions being undertaken include social cash transfer programmes, public welfare assistance schemes, school feeding programmes and other specific programmes targeted at empowering vulnerable women and girls.  Other measures include investing in modern agricultural techniques, promoting smallholder farmers’ access to resources and ensuring conservation of biodiversity to ensure food security, he added.

KYAW MOE TUN   ( Myanmar ), aligning himself with ASEAN, the Group of Least Developed Countries and the Group of 77 and China, said that agriculture is the backbone of his nation’s economy, while the illegal attempted military coup in his State and its atrocities, including its scorched-earth policy, have significantly aggravated the existing challenges in strengthening the agrifood system.  “Even almost at midnight on 9 October, the inhumane military junta conducted aerial attacks on Munglai Hkyet internally displaced persons camp in Laiza, Kachin State, killing 30 civilians, including 13 children, and injuring many,” he said, adding that the military is creating arbitrary rules and laws to make the livelihoods of people more difficult.  “Nearly 1 million children don’t receive the routine immunization, and nearly 5 million children lack sufficient vitamin A in their diets and access to supplements.  Nearly one in three children in Myanmar under the age of 5 suffers due to malnutrition,” he said.

LISANDRA MARINA GUTIÉRREZ TÓRREZ   ( Nicaragua ), aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, said that eradicating extreme poverty is a key priority.  To do so, it is important to establish a new global order and a multipolar world characterized by transparent, equitable agreements and solidarity, she said. Debt relief is vital in this regard. Many developing countries struggle with indebtedness, she said, stressing the need for the financial system to put forward monetary policies that are fair and avoid plunging developing countries into a prolonged debt crisis.  Financing is crucial to achieve sustainable development, she said, adding that developed countries must meet their as-yet unmet commitments in official development assistance (ODA).  She criticized illegal and terrorist unilateral coercive measures imposed by imperial and neocolonial countries on more than 30 countries, affecting more than 2 billion people.

HUSSEIN ATHMAN KATTANGA ( United Republic of Tanzania ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said his country aims to be a hub and basket of the African food supply.  He cited a clear land ownership policy; a 29 per cent increase in the budget for agriculture between 2022 and 2024; and subsidies in fertilizers and seeds.  The country is piloting a youth programme to make agriculture more attractive, aiming to generate more than 10,000 enterprises in eight years.  He further emphasized that it had the lowest inflationary rate for the past three years within the region, at an average of 3.8 per cent. The United Republic of Tanzania further hosted the Africa Food Systems Forum in September, bringing together more than 5,400 participants including five Heads of State, experts, policymakers and representatives from 70 countries.

MOHAMED-ESSEGHIR LATROUS( Algeria ), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said the scourge of hunger continues to dominate the international landscape and remains one of the most pressing global challenges the international community faces in the twenty-first century.  “The current state of global food insecurity is primarily characterized by rising food prices and inflation,” he added.  These factors have historically been catalysts for social unrest.  It is evident that developing countries, particularly those in Africa, are severely affected by rising food prices, which are compounded by soaring agriculture and energy prices, climate change and geopolitical tensions.  The global food supply chain must remain open and free, especially for essential raw materials.  “We must refrain from banning the export of foodstuffs, especially sensitive raw materials,” he added.

Mr. MAURA ( Mozambique ), aligning himself with the Group of Least Developed Countries and the Group of 77 and China, said that the fulfilment of basic human needs in his country is understood as a human rights matter.  “That is why agricultural development, aimed at food security and adequate nutrition, are important pillars in Mozambique’s economic development,” he said, adding that his Government launched an integrated management programme for family agriculture and natural resources, focused on upgrading the entire production value chain.  “The number of people living in high risk of hunger in Mozambique has decreased,” he said, spotlighting that at least 10 per cent of the country’s population, or 3.5 million people, currently live in a situation of food insecurity, of which 400,000 are in critical situations.

ABDULRAHMAN HASAN YAHYA AL-BARATI ( Yemen ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said that the world is going through a critical period with major challenges at all levels, including armed conflicts, and reconstructions to the tune of billions of dollars are required, with direct impacts on standards of living. Eradicating poverty is one the biggest challenges facing the world, and a goal of the 2030 Agenda. Eighty per cent of the population in Yemen live under the poverty line and 2 million children suffer from malnutrition, he said, adding that 24 million people require humanitarian assistance and 20 million people are at risk of famine.  This dark picture is a result of the war carried out by Houthi militias since 2014, he said, adding that the Government is attempting to put up a fight but that the economy is shrinking because of the war.

KANISSON COULIBALY ( Mali ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, the African Group, the Group of Least Developed Countries and the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries, cited the multidimensional crisis that the country has been going through since 2012 — further condemning the illegal and inhumane economic and financial sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union in January 2022, hindering Mali’s sustainable development.  The Government is working to provide peace dividends to the population through its Strategic Framework for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Development. That programme aims at strengthening peace and security; strengthening the stability of the macroeconomic framework; and promoting accelerated, sustainable growth for the poor.  It further prioritizes creating jobs; equitable access to basic social services; and institutional development and good governance.

MAHAMAN MOUSSA ( Niger ), aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Least Developing Countries, said that the agricultural sector employs nearly 80 per cent of Niger’s working population and represents, on average, 40 per cent of GDP.  “That is why it’s important to be aware of the significant assets that Niger has in the area of agriculture, namely 19 million hectares of arable land.”  Niger is focused on providing quality agricultural inputs and appropriate equipment to farmers, he added.  “Despite the enormous efforts that have been made, we face agricultural challenges such as lack of access to technologies for producers, an underdeveloped agricultural transport sector, climate shocks and insecurity linked to the actions of armed terrorist groups.”  On unilateral coercive measures, he said that such illegal and illegitimate sanctions have a “rare cruelty”.

TANIA SERAFIM YVONNE ROMUALDO ( Cabo Verde ), aligning with the Group of 77 and China, the African Group and the Alliance of Small Island States, and expressing steadfast commitment to the Goals, noted a substantial reduction in extreme poverty from 23.7 per cent in 2015 to 13.1 per cent in 2020.  This progress was driven by increased economic growth, she said, adding that the effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic, prolonged drought and other external shocks still present hurdles.  Younger people, especially, face challenges, with inadequate job opportunities, particularly for young women, she said, adding that poverty disproportionately affects female-headed households, while gender-based violence increased during the pandemic.  Investment in green energy is imperative to mitigate the impact of climate change, she said, adding that the critical challenge in the relationship with nature is evident.  There is an opportunity for a paradigm shift in food policies towards locally produced, affordable and nutritious foods, she said.

DMITRY S. ARISTOV ( Russian Federation ), aligning himself with the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, said that the analysis presented in the Secretariat’s reports fails to provide an objective picture.  “The root of current problems cannot be focused on the events in Ukraine,” he said, adding that his country, together with WFP, has been implementing school nutrition projects around the world for many years, allocating more than $120 million for these purposes.  The ongoing food crisis is caused by international supply-chain disruptions and other short-sighted actions of Western countries, including a forced energy transition and trade protectionism, he said, citing an UNCTAD report, which noted that in 2021–2022 alone, the leading trading companies in the West earned about $14 billion from increased prices.

YAWA DEBATABA,  Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad of Togo , aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China, the African Group and the Group of Least Developed Countries, said that agriculture represents more than 40 per cent of Togo’s GDP, involves nearly 65 per cent of its employed population and covers 3.6 million hectares, or 60 per cent, of its overall territory.  In this regard, the Government is making efforts to modernize agriculture, including better access to financing for farmers to boost production; intensification of research and mechanization; use of fertilizers; and the emergence of agroentrepreneurs.  A financing incentive mechanism to facilitate access to bank loans granted more than 27 billion Central African francs in loans to the agricultural sector in 2021. However, agriculture remains poorly supported by the banking sector, which devotes only 0.3 per cent of its loan portfolio each year, she said.

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Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Eradicating extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030 is a pivotal goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Extreme poverty, defined as surviving on less than $2.15 per person per day at 2017 purchasing power parity, has witnessed remarkable declines over recent decades.

However, the emergence of COVID-19 marked a turning point, reversing these gains as the number of individuals living in extreme poverty increased for the first time in a generation by almost 90 million over previous predictions.

Even prior to the pandemic, the momentum of poverty reduction was slowing down. By the end of 2022, nowcasting suggested that 8.4 per cent of the world’s population, or as many as 670 million people, could still be living in extreme poverty. This setback effectively erased approximately three years of progress in poverty alleviation.

If current patterns persist, an estimated 7% of the global population – around 575 million people – could still find themselves trapped in extreme poverty by 2030, with a significant concentration in sub-Saharan Africa.

A shocking revelation is the resurgence of hunger levels to those last observed in 2005. Equally concerning is the persistent increase in food prices across a larger number of countries compared to the period from 2015 to 2019. This dual challenge of poverty and food security poses a critical global concern.

Why is there so much poverty

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

Why should I care about other people’s economic situation?

There are many reasons, but in short, because as human beings, our well- being is linked to each other. Growing inequality is detrimental to economic growth and undermines social cohesion, increas- ing political and social tensions and, in some circumstances, driving instability and conflicts.

Why is social protection so important?

Strong social protection systems are essential for mitigating the effects and preventing many people from falling into poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic had both immediate and long-term economic consequences for people across the globe – and despite the expansion of social protection during the COVID-19 crisis, 55 per cent of the world’s population – about 4 billion people – are entirely unprotected.

In response to the cost-of-living crisis, 105 countries and territories announced almost 350 social protection measures between February 2022 and February 2023. Yet 80 per cent of these were short-term in nature, and to achieve the Goals, countries will need to implement nationally appropriate universal and sustainble social protection systems for all.

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 end 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.

Facts and Figures

Goal 1 targets.

• If current trends continue, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty and only one-third of countries will have halved their national poverty levels by 2030.
• Despite the expansion of social protection during the COVID-19 crisis, over 4 billion people remain entirely unprotected. Many of the world’s vulnerable population groups, including the young and the elderly, remain uncovered by statutory social protection programmes.
• The share of government spending on essential services, such as education, health and social protection, is significantly higher in advanced economies than in emerging and developing economies.
• A surge in action and investment to enhance economic opportunities, improve education and extend social protection to all, particularly the most excluded, is crucial to delivering on the central commitment to end poverty and leave no one behind.
• The global poverty headcount ratio at $2.15 is revised slightly up by 0.1 percentage points to 8.5 percent, resulting in a revision in the number of poor people from 648 to 659 million. ( World Bank)

Source: The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023 

1.1  By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $2.15 a day

1.2 By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

1.3  Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

1.4 By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, 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

1.5  By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters

1.A  Ensure significant mobilization 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

1.B  Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions

• United Nations Development Programme
• UN Children’s Fund
• International Monetary Fund
• UN Global Compact
• UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

Fast Facts: No Poverty

Infographic: No Poverty

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24 Poverty and Inequality: The Global Context

Francisco H. G. Ferreira is a Lead Economist with the World Bank's Research Department, and a co-editor of the Journal of Economic Inequality. He holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and has taught at PUC-Rio de Janeiro.

Martin Ravallion is the director of the Development Research Group at the World Bank.

• Published: 18 September 2012
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This article summarizes the recent evidence on global poverty and inequality, including both developed and developing countries. Section 1 discusses poverty and inequality data and presents evidence on levels and recent trends in poverty and inequality around the world. Section 2 turns to the issues involved in aggregating inequality indices across countries, in order to construct a meaningful measure of global inequality. Section 3 discusses the empirical relationship between economic growth, poverty, and inequality dynamics. Section 4 turns to the likely economic determinants of poverty and inequality changes. Section 5 offers some conclusions, and points to some promising research themes within this general topic.

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Institutional access

Sign in with a library card.

• Sign in with username/password
• Recommend to your librarian
• Institutional account management
• Get help with access

Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:

IP based access

Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.

Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.

• Click Sign in through your institution.
• Select your institution from the list provided, which will take you to your institution's website to sign in.
• When on the institution site, please use the credentials provided by your institution. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.
• Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.

If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.

Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.

Society Members

Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:

Sign in through society site

Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:

• Click Sign in through society site.
• When on the society site, please use the credentials provided by that society. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.

If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.

Sign in using a personal account

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.

A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.

Viewing your signed in accounts

Click the account icon in the top right to:

• View your signed in personal account and access account management features.
• View the institutional accounts that are providing access.

Signed in but can't access content

Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.

For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.

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