Sustainable Development Goals: No Poverty

 

Poverty, which has taken shape in different dimensions under the influence of the condi­tions from the past to the present, can be defined as the deficiency experienced by people in ful­filling their life functions or the living standards being below the average level.

Poverty results from a lack of critical capabilities, such as insufficient income or education, bad health, insecurity, low self-confi­dence, a sense of powerlessness or the lack of rights such as freedom of expression. Especially with the increased bad conditions, poverty has gained a higher level called extreme poverty.

Poverty is the inability to satisfy fundamental human requirements such as food, water, sanitation, safe energy, education and a means of subsistence.

With the spread of technology and the rise in liv­ing standards, there was an expectation that the problem of poverty would be overcome through­out the world.

However, the gap between rich and poor people is being further opened day by day with unequal economic distributions in most countries, leading numerous people to live below the poverty line despite the improvements in sci­ence and technology.

Poverty has many dimen­sions, but its causes include unemploy­ment, social exclusion, and high vulnerability of certain population to disasters, diseases and other phenomena which prevent them from being productive.

Poverty harms people’s lives and hampers social cohesion and economic growth.

This means certain people are exposed to severe material and social deprivation, which means they are unable to afford seven or more items out of a list of 13 elements of material goods, services or social activities considered by most people to be desirable or necessary for an adequate life.

This includes

(1) pay rent, utility bills, hire purchase instalments or other loan payments,

(2) keep their home adequately warm,

(3) face unexpected expenses,

(4) eat meat, chicken, fish or vegetarian equivalent every second day,

(5) a week of holiday away from home,

(6) have access to a car/van for personal use,

(7) replace worn-out furniture,

(8) replace worn-out clothes with some new ones,

(9) have two pairs of properly fitting shoes,

(10) spend a small amount of money each week on themselves (‘pocket money’), (11) have regular leisure activities,

(12) get together with friends/family for a drink/meal at least once a month, and

(13) have an internet connection.

Being at risk of poverty can have a severe impact on a person’s ability to meet their basic needs such as being able to afford adequate housing or receive necessary medical treatment.

Meeting basic human needs is central to social sustainability and housing is a key dimension of need.

The costs for housing often account for the largest component of many households’ expenditure and determine what is left of a household’s budget for satisfying other essential needs and expenses, such as education, medical treatment, food or energy.

A household is considered overcrowded if it does not have at least one room for the entire household as well as a room for a couple, for each single person above 18, for a pair of teenagers (12 to 17 years of age) of the same sex, for each teenager of different sex and for a pair of children (under 12 years of age).

Low-income households are particularly prone to being overcrowded and overburdened by their housing costs similarly, persons with disabilities are more likely to be overburdened by housing costs.

Having a paid job does not necessarily prevent people from being at risk of poverty. The share of people at risk of monetary poverty among the employed, the so-called working poor is relatively high in certain parts of the world.

The likelihood of a person becoming a member of the ‘working poor’ varies according to their type of contract and education level. Low-skilled workers and people who work part-time or on temporary contracts are usually on the statistics of people classified as ‘working poor’.

Poor people are more vulnerable to the impacts of natural disasters and all examples of extreme poverty such as hunger and malnutrition, fuel poverty, limited access to education, social isolation and discrimination and exclusion from basic health and social protection services and decision-making processes.

Children’s risk of poverty or social exclusion is largely determined by the situation of their parents. Two major factors are education and household composition: parents with a lower level of education usually earn less.

Poverty is more likely to affect people who are unemployed, a low level of education or a disability.

The main reason for aiming to end all types of poverty is that it affects individual welfare and living conditions, such as accessing basic neces­sities like health, nourishment, clothing and accommodation.

The fight against poverty ensures that all people can easily access education, health, nutrition and life and that they do not depend on others

The sustainable development goal: No poverty calls for the eradication of poverty in all its manifestations. It envisions shared prosperity, a basic standard of living and social protection benefits for people everywhere, including the poorest and most vulnerable.

Eradicating poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice and the key to unlocking an enormous human potential. Still, nearly half of the world’s population lives in poverty, and lack of food and clean water and it is killing thousands every single day of the year.

Together, we can feed the hungry, wipe out disease and give everyone in the world a chance to prosper and live a productive and rich life. Everyone can help to make sure that we meet the Global Goals.

Your active engagement in policymaking can make a difference in addressing poverty. It ensures that your rights are promoted and that your voice is heard, that inter-gen­erational knowledge is shared, and that innova­tion and critical thinking are encouraged at all ages to support transforma­tional change in people’s lives and communities.

Governments can help create an enabling envi­ronment to generate pro­ductive employment and job opportunities for the poor and the marginalized. They can formulate strate­gies and fiscal policies that stimulate pro-poor growth, and reduce poverty.

The private sector, as an engine of economic growth, has a major role to play in determining whether the growth it cre­ates is inclusive and hence contributes to poverty reduction.

It can promote economic opportunities for the poor, focusing on segments of the econ­omy where most of the poor are active, namely on micro and small enter­prises and those operating in the informal sector.

The academic and education community have a major role in increasing the awareness about the impact of poverty.

Science provides the foundation for new and sustainable approaches, solutions and technologies to tackle the challenges of reducing poverty and achieving sus­tainable development.

The contribution of science to end poverty has been significant. For example, it has enabled access to safe drinking water, reduced deaths caused by water-borne diseases, and improved hygiene to reduce health risks related to unsafe drinking water and lack of sanitation.

Find a charity organization you want to support, any donation, big or small, can make a difference!

Donate what you do not use. Local charities will give your gently used clothes, books and furniture a new life. Support campaigns collecting items for victims of emergencies. Donate your clothes, food supplies etc. to support those in need.

Poverty still persists in every country lend your voice to the fight against extreme poverty. Encourage education at all times.

A slowdown in economic growth can have a major effect on the global poverty goal.

Tourism is considered a potential solution for this issue (by preventing economic setbacks and helping underdeveloped countries build).

Tourism is a promising eco­nomic sector that helps create strategies for decreas­ing poverty.

It is known to help improve rural areas’ economy and well-being in developing countries.

It is important to recognize that certain conditions need to be provided for tourism to contribute to No Poverty.

Local elites, com­pany directors and government leaders must do their best to ensure factors like corruption and dictatorship do not undermine the sector of tour­ism.

Whether you are a business or employee, at the start of your sustainability journey or developing your next set of commitments you can also start planning for a better tomorrow.

Together we can all work together in eradicating poverty.

Thanks for reading!!!

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