The efforts of the past ten years in eradicating worldwide poverty have been inadequate, and the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty is a failure.  This is according to development experts, in a recent meeting for the review of the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) Human Development Report for 2005.  The eight-day meeting led by the UN Commission on Social Development aimed to review the global situation on poverty.
Very inadequate efforts

The UNDP Reports assessment is that over 40% of the global population still lives in extreme poverty, and that ten years of anti-poverty measures made no impact as a great number of people in developing countries still live on less than USD1 a day.

If we take stock very carefully and honestly, we have to acknowledge that our efforts have been very inadequate, said Sanjay Reddy, economics professor from Barnard College, Columbia University, and one of the panel members in the meeting.

Robert Bissio, another panel member and executive director of the Uruguay-based Third World Institute, was more straightforward, Looking at the direct outcome of the last years efforts, the decade is a failure.

Broken promises

The report does cite some positive effects of the global action against poverty. For instance, the report names China as having achieved its goal of reducing poverty from 33% to 16.6% .

However, majority of the countries included in the report had no progress at all, or had even worsened after the campaign was launched. Some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, showed no progress, while some nations in Europe and Central Asia showed an increase in poverty rates in the 1990s.

The report noted Sub-Saharan Africa as the least likely to achieve the income poverty target(and) if the next decade is as unproductive as the last, only eight countries in the region are projected to reduce poverty by half, alluding to the UNs Millennium Development Goal of 50% reduction in global poverty and hunger by 2015.

Whos to blame?

Clare Short, former British Cabinet asserts, For the first time ever, we are capable of removing abject poverty, illiteracy, and the disease of poverty from the human condition. The current intensification of global economic integration has demonstrated that there is enough knowledge, technology, and capital to bring development to all the people (worldwide).

And yet, the fact remains MDGs are not likely to be met in many countries by 2015.

Bissio explains that while there was a widespread elimination of trade barriers, the commensurate rights for the people and governments in developing countries to work out their own solutions were lacking.

The developed countries also did not fulfill their promises with regard to increased aid, creation of fair trade conditions, and solution to the debt problem of poor nations, for while debt relief had been announcedthose measures have yet to be put into practice.

Bissio adds that while it is true that governments are responsible for their own poverty-reduction programmes, they would need an enabling environment which includes trade opportunities. He pointed out that developing countries able to help their own people produce more are still bound to fail, given the currently existing unfair terms of trade.

Voice to the voiceless

Poverty is not just and maybe not primarily about money, Bissio said. Its about access: access to education, to health care, to power, access to having a voice, and thats what we are trying to express here.

The report recommends that governments give a voice to the voicelessminorities and the marginalisedletting the poor participate in discussions about poverty-eradicating strategies and promoting rural development. Microfinance programs, particularly for women, should be promoted.

Bissio is optimistic. Poverty is still possible to eradicate. Its just a matter of walking the whole way of commitments.

Sources:

Mack, L. (2006). Analysis: U.N. report: Reduce poverty now.  Retrieved March 8, 2006 from <http://www.upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20060208-060038-8251r>.

Sderlindh, L. (2006). Development: The lost decade.  Retrieved March 8, 2006 from <http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32145>.

United Nations. (2006). Press conference on poverty eradication.  Retrieved March 8, 2006 from <http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2006/060208_poverty.doc.htm>.