Why defeating world hunger is real
Many governments have introduced stimulus and recovery packages that are already shaping the future. But leaders across all sectors in society must recognize this moment as a rare chance to create a more inclusive and sustainable world that will only be possible if we eradicate poverty in all its dimensions.
Eradicating poverty may seem like a pipe dream, but it was also with the end of slavery and the end of apartheid. The launch of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2020 (MPI) could serve as a catalyst. The MPI, recently published by the United Nations Development Program and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, shows that 65 of the 75 countries surveyed have significantly reduced their poverty rates over the past decade. Moreover, Sierra Leone, one of the first countries to reduce poverty, has done so despite the Ebola epidemic that began in 2014.
Today, there is a risk that these gains could be reversed. The COVID-19 crisis requires commitment from global and national leaders not only to sustain the progress made by such work, but also to reach a tipping point in the global effort to eradicate poverty. This will not be easy, given that the pandemic is exacerbating pre-existing inequalities.
In July 2020, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted that it is “a myth that we are all in the same boat”:
- Despite the fact that we all sail on the same sea, it is obvious that someone is sailing on superyachts, and someone is clinging to the drifting debris.
It is all the more important that we reach out to the poor suffering from multiple hardships, and COVID-19 further exacerbated what was already a heavy burden.
Using data from 2010, MPI provides a comprehensive picture of how people face disadvantages in their daily lives, as it simultaneously measures the magnitude of deprivation in health, education and living standards on ten indicators. This data can help us alleviate the burden of the pandemic on the 1.3 billion people living in multidimensional poverty, while preventing many others from becoming impoverished. At the national level, governments should consider creating their own country-specific MPIs to effectively manage poverty reduction strategies.
Dozens of countries around the world already have their own MPIs. Of the 47 countries that were required to submit voluntary national reviews at the UN High Level Political Forum in July, 21 mention multidimensional poverty. We hope they can use this powerful tool during the pandemic itself. By focusing on supporting the most vulnerable groups today, all countries will be in a better position to “recover better” from the pandemic. The fight against multidimensional poverty is good for society and for the world.
Commitment at the highest levels is critical to ending poverty. During my (Santos) tenure as President of Colombia, we complemented the peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) with a national MPI, which focused not only on income, but also on additional social deprivations affecting Colombian lives. Our MPI, backed by reliable data, served as the basis for the development of specific programs and policies that over eight years have reduced multidimensional poverty from 30.4% to 19.6%.
Countries that do not yet have an official constant measure of multidimensional poverty could study the global MPI to see if it can strengthen their own efforts. In any case, all governments must put human dignity and opportunity at the center of their crisis management strategies.
Of course, national governments cannot do this alone. The scale of the problem requires collective action by businesses, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, and philanthropists. Now is the time to back up your words with action. Leaders must show perseverance, determination and endurance, and combine courage with pragmatism. Mobilizing all public sectors around a common goal of eradicating poverty will benefit not only the poor, but the economy as a whole.
LONDON - The G20 Leaders urgently need to get together to agree ... →
After World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt noted: “We cannot discuss day after day what the next day will bring. This is an unusual time. There is no time to weigh anything other than what we can best do for the country as a whole. ” In these difficult times, humankind has the opportunity to unite in solidarity with those left behind and to show vision and determination to eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere.
At the start of this pandemic, our friend Amartya Sen, a Nobel laureate in economics, reminded us of the good and bad leadership in times of crisis. He noted that during World War II the UK rationing system led to a more equal distribution of food, which in turn led to a sharp increase in life expectancy - 6.5 years for men and seven years for women (compared with growth of only 1.2 and 1.5 years, respectively, in the previous decade).
The lessons learned from this experience and the experience of Sierra Leone in recent decades is that forward-looking, practical and just policies in times of hardship do work. Hopefully, today's leaders recognize the opportunities they face and adopt the multidimensional metrics needed to take advantage of it.
Перевод статьи:301 группа.Нуркабекова А.
Source: https://forbes.kz/life/opinion/pochemu_pobedit_golod_vo_vsem_mire_realno/?utm_source=forbes&utm_medium=mlt_articles
Eradicating poverty may seem like a pipe dream, but it was also with the end of slavery and the end of apartheid. The launch of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2020 (MPI) could serve as a catalyst. The MPI, recently published by the United Nations Development Program and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, shows that 65 of the 75 countries surveyed have significantly reduced their poverty rates over the past decade. Moreover, Sierra Leone, one of the first countries to reduce poverty, has done so despite the Ebola epidemic that began in 2014.
Today, there is a risk that these gains could be reversed. The COVID-19 crisis requires commitment from global and national leaders not only to sustain the progress made by such work, but also to reach a tipping point in the global effort to eradicate poverty. This will not be easy, given that the pandemic is exacerbating pre-existing inequalities.
In July 2020, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted that it is “a myth that we are all in the same boat”:
- Despite the fact that we all sail on the same sea, it is obvious that someone is sailing on superyachts, and someone is clinging to the drifting debris.
It is all the more important that we reach out to the poor suffering from multiple hardships, and COVID-19 further exacerbated what was already a heavy burden.
Using data from 2010, MPI provides a comprehensive picture of how people face disadvantages in their daily lives, as it simultaneously measures the magnitude of deprivation in health, education and living standards on ten indicators. This data can help us alleviate the burden of the pandemic on the 1.3 billion people living in multidimensional poverty, while preventing many others from becoming impoverished. At the national level, governments should consider creating their own country-specific MPIs to effectively manage poverty reduction strategies.
Dozens of countries around the world already have their own MPIs. Of the 47 countries that were required to submit voluntary national reviews at the UN High Level Political Forum in July, 21 mention multidimensional poverty. We hope they can use this powerful tool during the pandemic itself. By focusing on supporting the most vulnerable groups today, all countries will be in a better position to “recover better” from the pandemic. The fight against multidimensional poverty is good for society and for the world.
Commitment at the highest levels is critical to ending poverty. During my (Santos) tenure as President of Colombia, we complemented the peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) with a national MPI, which focused not only on income, but also on additional social deprivations affecting Colombian lives. Our MPI, backed by reliable data, served as the basis for the development of specific programs and policies that over eight years have reduced multidimensional poverty from 30.4% to 19.6%.
Countries that do not yet have an official constant measure of multidimensional poverty could study the global MPI to see if it can strengthen their own efforts. In any case, all governments must put human dignity and opportunity at the center of their crisis management strategies.
Of course, national governments cannot do this alone. The scale of the problem requires collective action by businesses, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, and philanthropists. Now is the time to back up your words with action. Leaders must show perseverance, determination and endurance, and combine courage with pragmatism. Mobilizing all public sectors around a common goal of eradicating poverty will benefit not only the poor, but the economy as a whole.
LONDON - The G20 Leaders urgently need to get together to agree ... →
After World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt noted: “We cannot discuss day after day what the next day will bring. This is an unusual time. There is no time to weigh anything other than what we can best do for the country as a whole. ” In these difficult times, humankind has the opportunity to unite in solidarity with those left behind and to show vision and determination to eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere.
At the start of this pandemic, our friend Amartya Sen, a Nobel laureate in economics, reminded us of the good and bad leadership in times of crisis. He noted that during World War II the UK rationing system led to a more equal distribution of food, which in turn led to a sharp increase in life expectancy - 6.5 years for men and seven years for women (compared with growth of only 1.2 and 1.5 years, respectively, in the previous decade).
The lessons learned from this experience and the experience of Sierra Leone in recent decades is that forward-looking, practical and just policies in times of hardship do work. Hopefully, today's leaders recognize the opportunities they face and adopt the multidimensional metrics needed to take advantage of it.
Перевод статьи:301 группа.Нуркабекова А.
Source: https://forbes.kz/life/opinion/pochemu_pobedit_golod_vo_vsem_mire_realno/?utm_source=forbes&utm_medium=mlt_articles