October 17 has been established since 1992 by the UN as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and Hunger around the world.

Poverty remains a global problem that requires concerted efforts to eradicate it.

According to the UN, over a billion people in the world suffer from “acute” poverty, half of them children and minors.

Wars and armed conflicts make the poor poorer

According to the report of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP/PNUD), the rate of poverty today is three times higher in countries at war, while at no time since the Second World War have there been so many armed conflicts in the world as in 2023.

“The 2024 Poverty Index (for the year 2023) paints a thought-provoking picture: 1.1 billion people suffer from multidimensional poverty and they 455 million live in war zones. In war-torn countries, poverty rates are three times higher than in (countries) at peace,” summarizes Yangsun Zhang, head of statistics at UNDP/PNUD.

In addition, in countries plagued by armed conflicts, “the deprivations faced by the populations are three to five times more acute” because “for the poor, the struggle to meet their basic needs is even tougher,” the UN official explained to AFP .

According to this year’s Poverty Index 2023, the extreme poverty always hits rural areas harder than urban with almost 84% of the world’s poor living in rural areas.

In the age group under 18 years of agethe poorest are estimated at 584 million children and adolescents. The poverty rate of minors in the world reaches 27.9% compared to 13.5% for adults.

The vast majority of the poorest (83.2%) live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, namely the Indian subcontinent, the most populous region on the planet.

The 5 countries with the largest number of very poor people also have high population growth: India has 234 million people deprived of everything (out of 1.4 billion people), Pakistan has 93 million (out of 236 million people), Ethiopia 86 million (out of 123 million inhabitants), Nigeria 74 million (out of 218 million) and the Democratic Republic of Congo 66 million very poor out of 100 million inhabitants.

According to Sabina Alkire, director of OPHI, “wars and violent conflicts not only leave deep and lasting scars on people’s lives, but also prevent the reduction of poverty”, appealing at the same time “to the international community (…) to zero poverty favoring peace”.

This year’s message from Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a double crisis for the world’s poorest.

First, they are at the highest risk of being exposed to the virus while having the least access to quality medical care.

Second, recent estimates show that the pandemic could push 115 million people into poverty this year, the first increase in decades. Women are at higher risk because they are more likely to lose their jobs and less likely to have social security.

In these special times, we need special efforts to fight poverty.

The pandemic requires strong joint action.

Governments must accelerate economic transformation by investing in a green, sustainable recovery. We need a new generation of social protection programs that will also cover those working in the informal economy.

Working together for the common cause is the only way we will safely emerge from this pandemic. On International Day for the Reduction of Poverty, let us stand in solidarity with those living in poverty, throughout the pandemic and beyond.”