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15 Jan 2015

‘Poverty could increase’ for the first time in a generation

As new research warns poverty could increase for the first time in a generation, teenagers born when the Millennium Development Goals were made in 2000 demand that new goals are set.

In the year 2000 the world agreed a series of ambitious targets called the millennium development goals. Now, teenagers born in that year are demanding politicians take action, with campaigners saying that this generation is under threat of extreme poverty worsening for the first time in 20 years.

The eight pledges of the development goals ranged from halving extreme poverty to providing primary education for all by 2015.

Fifteen-year-olds around the world are taking part in events to mark the start of the action/2015 campaign which brings together more than 1,000 organisations in 130 countries, with 40 British organisations involved in the campaign.

A number of fifteen year olds have this week met with the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and with Ed Miliband, the leader of the opposition.

The campaign wants major action taken at the G7 in June, and at a UN meeting in July, with the campaign climaxing as the 2030 sustainable development goals are unveiled in September.

Poverty risk

Campaigners have warned that if world leaders don’t take action this year to address global issues of climate change, extreme poverty and inequality, that extreme poverty could increase for the first time in a generation, based on new analysis by the University of Denver.

It found that if goals are met then by 2030 just four per cent of people could be living in extreme poverty, a reduction from 17 per cent today. This would mean 360 million people instead of one billion living under extreme poverty.

But it finds that if action is not taken, the number living in extreme poverty could rise to 1.2 billion people by 2030.

“2015 must be the year the world wakes up and delivers a safer, more just future for children and young people. We all must play our part in ensuring this is the case. Do not let this opportunity go to waste” said Nobel peace price winner and education advocate Malala Yousafzai.

‘UK’s voice can’t be absent’

Ben Jackson, the chief executive of the development charity Bond and partner of UK’s action/2015 campaign said: “If we get this right – tackle poverty, inequality and climate change – we could eradicate extreme poverty within a generation.”

Pointing towards the upcoming election he continued: “We want all party leaders to commit to keeping theses issues at the fore – and making time to set out their agenda before, during and after the campaign.”

2015 also marks an important year for the campaign as two UN summits will be held. One of them, taking place in New York in September, will concern sustainable development, the other will focus on climate talks and will be held in Paris in December.

“With two summits of this importance within just months of eachother, 2015 could be one of the most important years for our planet since the end of the Second World War, but only if we rise to the occasion. The UK’s voice can’t be absent” Mr Jackson said.

In the 15 years since the original millennium development goals were set, extreme poverty has been reduced by 50 per cent, the number of deaths of children under five years of age fell from 12.6 million to 6.6 million, and new HIV infections declined by 33 per cent.