The world has been making huge strides in eradicating extreme poverty in recent years, which has halved in a decade.
Today, most of the world’s poorest people live in middle-income countries. These generally receive less international aid than low-income countries, and increasingly take charge of providing services to their people.
Despite the progress that has been made, continuing progress cannot be taken for granted. For many people living in extreme poverty, basic infrastructure and services are still lacking, and inequality is increasing, challenging the world’s commitment to ‘leave no one behind’. Progress on the Global Goals is very mixed, and, on several of the goals, is far too slow. Much more effort and political will is needed to deliver the ambitions of the Goals.
A number of impressive global partnerships are helping to drive change, such as Gavi the Vaccines Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, and the Global Partnership for Education. They must ensure that they have the maximum impact on poverty reduction, and donors such as the UK should focus their support on achieving the Global Goals, in partnership with developing countries.
It is very important to gain public and political support for the UK’s international development efforts, which enable the poorest people to gain access to health, education and economic opportunities. The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October) provides a perfect moment to write a letter to the Editor of your local paper or online media about the importance of the issues RESULTS is working on.