17 October 2020. In a statement delivered on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2020, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner called for transformative action to “build forward better” towards a greener and more inclusive development model in the post-COVID-19 era. The Administrator stressed the need to rethink our production and consumption patterns, delink economic growth from ecological damage, and address structural disparities threatening the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through innovative, sustainable solutions such as the Climate Promise, UNDP is working with partners worldwide to promote greener economies and societies, he stressed. Read the full statement.

20 October. The BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI) and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) co-hosted a session on “Driving Systems Change through Governments to End Extreme Poverty”, featuring UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner among panelists. The Administrator highlighted two critical challenges facing us today. First, we must improve our poverty and inequality measures to adequately grasp the multidimensional nature of deprivation and exclusion. Second, we must expand the fiscal space and invest in systems that can take us forward into a development recovery. He also stressed the need to improve social protection measures, such as Temporary Basic Income, to ensure that no one is left behind. Watch here.

8 October. The Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) has released a new dashboard to capture the amount spent by international partners to support the 91 world's most vulnerable nations. While the global COVID-19 response has been estimated at US$ 20 trillion and is still growing, the dashboard reveals that available funding for LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS, with a combined population of 1.1 billion, remains at US$ 8.5 billion – less than half of one percent of the total. These results call for urgent action to expand international support to countries that lack the financial resources to cope with the devastating consequences of the pandemic. Read more.   

A few months ago, a UNDP study covering 132 developing countries found that unconditional emergency cash transfers can play a critical role in shielding the poor and vulnerable against external shocks. In this Country Corner section, we invite you to explore Colombia’s experience with the Ingreso Solidario – a quick, targeted cash transfer scheme to protect households currently not covered by governmental social assistance. For a long time, Colombia has made substantive efforts to expand social protection, resulting in 4 million people escaping multidimensional poverty in 8 years – one of the world’s fastest reductions. With the COVID-19 crisis still ongoing, the country is leveraging investments to mitigate the pandemic’s socio-economic impact on the most vulnerable towards a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future. Click here to learn more and check out the project's Data Visualizations, as part of a larger SDGi series.
 

World Bank Report: The pandemic could add 150 million into extreme poverty by 2021
 

October 2020. A new World Bank publication, “Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report 2020,” estimates that as many as 150 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty by 2021 – with 82 percent of the “new poor” living in middle-income countries. Projections indicate that the COVID-19 crisis may also lead to higher inequality, diminished social mobility, and lower resilience to external shocks. The convergence of the pandemic with the resurgence of armed conflict and the pressures of climate change puts the Sustainable Development Goal of achieving zero poverty by 2030 under serious threat. Explore the report.

 

October 2020. Check out this new, beautifully illustrated UNDP brochure on how the pandemic is impacting progress towards the goal of ending poverty in all its forms and dimensions. The booklet highlights UNDP’s multidimensional approach to poverty measurement, presents trends in the tourism industry before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, showcases new data on poverty and women, and features policy actions, initiatives, and partnerships to recover better and put the world on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Explore here.

 

October 2020.  Do not miss the latest papal encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti” (Brothers All), where Pope Francis calls for resetting capitalism towards a new economic model based on human solidarity and multilateral cooperation. “Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community. It means that the lives of all are prior to the appropriation of goods by a few. It also means combatting the structural causes of poverty, inequality, the lack of work, land and housing, the denial of social and labour rights”. Read more.

Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World 
 

October 2020. What will the world look like after COVID-19? What are the implications of this pandemic for countries, people, and the planet? In one of the most anticipated books of the year, CNN host and public intellectual Fareed Zakaria explores key lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Touching upon a wide range of issues, including globalization, economic inequality, the role of the state, and the digital era, Mr. Zakaria invites us to see this crisis as an opportunity to construct a better world. He argues that the post-pandemic age will likely be a sped-up version of the world we knew: “The pandemic will not reshape history so much as accelerate it.” Yet, even if economics and politics go back to normal, “human beings will not,” he concludes. Explore the book.

October 2020. The World Bank estimates that extreme global poverty will rise in 2020 for the first time in two decades. This WB-IMF annual meeting, “End Poverty Day 2020: Surmounting Setbacks”, gathered leaders, experts, and practitioners from across the globe to discuss ways to mobilize action and commitment towards the goal of a world freed from poverty. The event assessed poverty reduction challenges, including from armed conflict and climate and pandemic shocks, offering a way forward for long-term recovery. The session included a quiz and a poll on pressing challenges and new opportunities for poverty eradication, given the obstacles posed by the COVID-19 crisis. Watch here.