Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and this year it’s especially important.
Global progress on ending poverty is one of the greatest human achievements of our time.
Since 1999, nearly a billion people have escaped extreme poverty. At the beginning of 2020, the global poverty rate was lower than it has ever been in recorded history.
That progress is now under threat.
The pace of change has been slowing in recent years and now the COVID-19 crisis risks reversing those decades of progress.
More than 700 million people, or 10% of the world’s population, still live in extreme poverty today and the World Bank recently estimated up to 150 million more people could be added by 2021.
“COVID-19 is a humanitarian crisis that is far from over,” said UnitingWorld National Director Dr Sureka Goringe.
“The pandemic is pushing more people into poverty and vulnerability every day. The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is a reminder that we all have a role to play.”
The theme for 2020 is ‘Acting together to achieve social and environmental justice for all‘, and it aims to highlight the dimensions of poverty beyond income deprivation, including the rapidly growing impact of the environment. A more holistic approach is needed (like what our Pacific partners are creating for their context).
“No one should be deprived of what they need to live with dignity and each of us can choose to work together to create a fairer, more sustainable world for all,” said Dr Goringe.
Some ways to take action:
- Commit to a regular donation to support poverty alleviation work.
- Give gifts that fight poverty this Christmas.
- Join the #EndCovidForALL campaign.
- Help developing nations get a fair share of tax revenue by supporting the Tax Justice Network.
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been marked on 17 October since 1992. Learn more.