UN urges for urgent global action on poverty eradication

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for emergency global action to reverse the negative trend in poverty eradication.

"As we mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty_ we face a harsh truth: the world is moving backward_" UN chief said in a video message played at an event.

Coronavirus pandemic plunged millions of people into poverty_ setting back more than four years of hard-won progress. Inequalities are widening. National and household economies has faced worse situation due to job losses_ skyrocketing food and energy prices_ and the gathering shadows of a global recession_ he said.

At the same time_ the climate crisis and raging conflicts are causing immense suffering_ with the poorest people bearing the brunt. Developing nations are being squeezed dry and denied access to resources and debt relief to invest in recovery and growth. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being pushed far out of reach_ Antonio Guterres added.     

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is a wake-up call to the world_ said Guterres. This year's theme_ "Dignity for all in practice_" must be a rallying cry for urgent global action: action to invest in people-centered solutions -- from health and decent work_ to gender equality_ social protection_ and transformed food and education systems; action to transform a morally bankrupt global financial system and ensure access to financing and debt relief for all countries; action to support developing countries as they transition from planet-killing fossil fuels to renewable energy and job-creating green economies; action to end conflicts_ heal geopolitical divisions and pursue peace; and action to achieve the SDGs.     

"On this important day_ let us renew our commitment to a better world for all. Let us consign poverty to the pages of history_" said Guterres.