UN PGA HLM on Poverty Eradication and Alliance
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REPORT OF THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON “TRENDS, OPTIONS AND STRATEGIES IN POVERTY ERADICATION ACROSS THE WORLD” AND THE INAUGURATION OF THE ALLIANCE FOR POVERTY ERADICATION (TUESDAY, 30 JUNE 2020) 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary Opening Segment Panel Discussions Interactive Session Closing Synopsis of Emerging Issues, Conclusions and Recommendations 2 Executive Summary On 30 June 2020, H.E., Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), convened a Virtual High- Level Meeting on Poverty Eradication. The theme of the meeting was “Trends, Options and Strategies in Poverty Eradication Across the World”. The Meeting was preceded by the formal inauguration of the Alliance for Poverty Eradication. 2. The objectives of the twin event include: (a) Formal inauguration of the Alliance for Poverty Eradication as a mechanism for sustainable engagement, and for galvanizing multilateral and bilateral efforts at the United Nations for poverty eradication; (b) Kick-starting a series of policy dialogues on poverty eradication, bringing together world leaders, policy makers, corporate leaders, renowned academics, civil society groups and other stakeholders; and (c) Galvanizing support for poverty eradication as the Number One Sustainable Development Goal and against the backdrop of the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic. 3. The highlights of the High-Level event included the screening of a video message from His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as the delivery of statements by other eminent personalities. The speakers at the Opening Segment included the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande; the Secretary General of the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Antonio Guetteres; the President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), H.E. Ms. Mona Juul; the Charge d’ Affaires, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations and Interim the Coordinator of the Poverty Eradication Alliance, H.E. Mr. Samson Itegboje; the Deputy Secretary General of United Nations, Mrs. Amina Muhammed; and the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Professor Oliver De Schutter. 4. The Meeting also featured goodwill messages from the Honourable Minister for Poverty Eradication and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Dr. Sania Nishtar; the Head of Strategy and Budget at the President’s Office, Turkey, Mr. Naci Agbal; and the Minister-Private Secretary for National Policies, Office of the President of the Republic of Nicaragua, Dr. Paul Oquist Kelley. 3 5. The Opening Segment was followed by Panel Discussions, moderated by the UN Under Secretary General for Global Communications, Ms. Melissa Fleming. The session featured presentations by six panelists, notably, the Director-General of the ILO; the Director-General of the FAO; the Secretary-General of UNCTAD; the Executive Secretary and Under-Secretary General, UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean; the World Bank’s Special Representative to the United Nations, and an Associate Administrator of the UNDP. 6. The Meeting ended with closing remarks by the President of the General Assembly. 7. The deliberations as well as the conclusions and recommendations of the High-Level Meeting are presented in the succeeding pages. 4 Opening Segment H.E., Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly 8. The President of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA), H.E. Prof. Tijjani Mohammad-Bande, welcomed participants to the virtual meeting, which, as he noted, was taking place at a time when the world was wrestling with unprecedented public health challenges. He underscored the significance of the event, more so, as it marked the inauguration of the Alliance for Poverty eradication as well as the first in a series of policy dialogues or colloquia on Poverty Eradication. He affirmed that alongside quality education and inclusion, the eradication of poverty is among the key priorities of the 74th session. He expressed the hope that the event would strengthen the coordination of multilateral and multi-pronged efforts to eradicate poverty. 9. The PGA described poverty as the most formidable obstacle to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He highlighted its manifestations as lack of access to decent jobs; healthcare; education; food; shelter; sanitation and portable water, amongst others. The PGA added that poverty had been identified as a major factor in expectant mothers’ stress and as the leading cause of pre- and post- natal complications. He was of the view that conflict and civil strife would not last long if poverty, the underlying trigger, was eliminated. He remarked that the youths that risk their lives migrating to foreign lands are driven, not by a spirit of adventure or by any expeditionary zeal, but by the resolve to escape the oppressive grip of poverty. 10. The PGA depicted poverty as a bad situation made even worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that before the onset of the pandemic, 2.1 billion people were classified as poor globally, with 767 million living in extreme poverty. He alluded to a gloomy forecast suggesting that by the year 2030, more than 100 million people would, thanks to COVID-19 and climate change, have relapsed into poverty. 11. The PGA cited a study released jointly by Kings College London and the Australian National University in the first week of April 2020; the study paints a grim 5 picture, showing that approximately 850 million people (roughly 8 percent of humanity) risked falling into poverty due to the sharp decline in economic activity in every part of the COVID-19- ravaged world. The study further estimated that a 5 percent decline in household income in rich countries would automatically lead to sharp declines in economic opportunities in countries that are already poverty- stricken, as well as the addition of between 85 million and 135 million to the number of people in poverty. 12. The PGA recalled that the International Labour Organization (ILO) has also highlighted the devastating impact of COVID-19 on employment, especially among youth and women. The Organization put the youth unemployment rate in 2019 at 13.6 percent, a figure higher than for any other demographic group. According to the ILO, approximately 267 million young people worldwide were either unemployed or were not receiving the education and training they needed to be employable. Youths aged 15 to 24 years were likely to be in low-paying jobs or to live precariously in the informal sector or as migrant workers. He stated that the qualitative dimension of poverty is as troubling as its quantitative equivalent. 13. The PGA was particularly worried that inequality was not only widening but was also reinforcing social exclusion as well as opportunity-denying tendencies across the world’s regions. Contrary to the underlying aim of Agenda 2030, millions are being left behind as poverty deepens and inequality widens. He conceded the fact that the United Nations had been at the forefront of the struggle against poverty and inequality. He cited a number of General Assembly resolutions on poverty as evidence of the international community’s concern over the depth and scale of global poverty. He stated that the time had come to move from platitudes to action, and from a strategy that relies on fragmented and sporadic raids on poverty to one that is anchored on a multisided and holistic attack on poverty. The multidimensional nature of poverty and the need for a multi-pronged attack on it between them provide a clear justification for the establishment of the Poverty Eradication Alliance. 14. The PGA believed that the Alliance was well-placed to serve as a one-stop centre for networking, information sharing and bridge-building. He assured that when fully operational, the Poverty Eradication Alliance would organize, sponsor, or promote interventions designed to accelerate the pace of poverty eradication within 6 and across regions. Also, development planning models, plan implementation strategies, public administration practices, as well as policies on food and agriculture, rural infrastructure development, quality education, health care, employment generation, entrepreneurship development, and social protection would be among themes to be closely examined at policy dialogues sponsored by the Alliance. 15. The PGA expressed appreciation to Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires a. i., Ambassador Samson S. Itegboje, for accepting to serve as the Interim Coordinator of the Alliance. 16. The PGA ended his opening address by announcing the formal inauguration of the Alliance for Poverty Eradication, and the organization of the High-Level Meeting on Poverty Eradication, the first in the series of colloquia on the same subject (Annex A is the List of Members of the Alliance). Statement by the UN Secretary-General, H.E., Mr. Antonio Guterres 17. The UN Secretary-General thanked the PGA for organizing the High-Level Meeting and stated that the time was ripe to focus on the eradication of poverty in all its forms everywhere. He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated stark inequalities in the world, and highlighted the other social challenges, ranging from inadequate housing to lack of universal social protection. He added that societies and citizens of the world are paying a heavy price for the pandemic which is placing further obstacles to the attainment of the SDGs. 18. The Secretary-General viewed poverty eradication as central to the 2030 Agenda. He noted with concern the reversal of previous gains in poverty eradication, and the widening inequality within and between countries. He further noted that the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affects the poor and vulnerable groups such as women and children, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups. 19. The Secretary-General emphasized the need for measures aimed at speeding up post-COVID-19 recovery and enabling the world to build back better.