Eradicating Poverty Critical to Social, Economic Growth
The Times Kuwait Report
Poverty is a multi-dimensional phenomena that requires concerted efforts and sustainable approaches to address its various facets effectively. Among others, eradicating poverty involves promoting inclusive economic growth, providing access to quality education, healthcare, shelter and social protection, as well as protecting vulnerable populations and empowering women. Additionally, removing economic and opportunity gaps, investing in human capital, creating decent jobs, and building resilience to climate-related shocks are critical for sustained poverty reduction.
Kuwait has consistently called for intensifying global efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, based on the country’s humanitarian values and leadership in delivering aid and supporting sustainable development around the world. Kuwait’s endorsement of poverty eradication is also in line with the country’s commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goal 1 of which calls for ending poverty in all its forms everywhere by 2030.
Last week, during a general debate on poverty eradication and food security at the UN meeting on Economic and Financial Affairs, Kuwait’s representative at the talks, Diplomatic Attache Rashid Farhan, reiterated the country’s outlook on eradicating global poverty and hunger. With nearly 800 million people still living in extreme poverty, and children and youth making up 60 percent of those affected, he urged greater global cooperation to build resilience and inclusiveness to end poverty.
Highlighting Kuwait’s Vision 2035 as a reflection of the country’s commitment to inclusive development, he called for sustainable food supply chains, social-support networks, early-warning systems, and more support to women, and youth to build inclusive and sustainable societies. Earlier at the UN, Kuwait lamented that nearly half of the 17 SDGs remain stalled,18 percent are below the 2015 baseline, and the funding gap to realize the SDGs has now exceeded US$4 trillion.
But poverty is not solely an economic issue; it is a complex phenomenon, encompassing many interrelated and mutually reinforcing elements that prevent people from attaining their rights and pursuing a dignified life. Some of the main components contributing to perpetuating poverty include illiteracy, unemployment, discrimination, social exclusion, and vulnerability to crises, which singly or together, hinder people from being productive and realizing their full potential.
Eradicating extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030 is a pivotal aim of the Sustainable Development Goal. However, figures from the UN show that although extreme poverty has significantly declined over the years, in 2025, over 800 million people, or 1 in 10 people worldwide, continued to live in extreme poverty. If current trends prevail, 8.9 percent of the world’s population will still be in extreme poverty by 2030.
In a world characterized by unprecedented levels of economic and technological development, and financial resources, the fact that millions are still living in extreme poverty is a moral outrage and a blot on the world’s collective conscience. Particularly alarming is the resurgence of hunger levels to those last observed in 2005, and the persistent increase in food prices in many countries compared to the period 2015–2019. The dual challenge of poverty and food security is a violation of basic human rights that needs urgent and effective redressal.
In 1992, through a resolution adopted on 22 December, the General Assembly declared 17 October annually as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The observance of a day dedicated to eradicating poverty acknowledges that poverty is a violation of human rights and affirms the need for global solidarity in confronting poverty and ensuring the rights of all, including the ‘poor’, are respected.
Notably, poverty is not confined to the developing world, it is prevalent even in rich countries depending on how poverty is defined. Absolute poverty,the lack of basic necessities for survival, including food, clean water, healthcare, and shelter, and usually measured by a fixed income level, is certainly more rampant in low income countries. On the other hand, relative poverty, defined as the lack of resources to maintain a standard of living considered average within a specific society, is prevalent in rich and poor nations alike.
Absolute poverty, or extreme poverty, which is often a matter of physical survival in many low-income countries, is undoubtedly more critical than relative poverty, which is largely the result of discrimination, and social exclusion. Understandably, absolute poverty is thus the target for poverty eradication programs by global institutions such as the UN, and by local governments, businesses, and civil society organizations.
However, the compounding negative impacts of relative poverty on the physical and mental health of affected individuals cannot be ignored, as relative poverty limits access to nutritious food, quality healthcare, education, and housing. In addition, it restricts employment and development opportunities, leading to a lower quality of life for those affected, especially for migrant populations and other vulnerable sections of society.
Relative poverty foments discrimination and social exclusion in communities, increases physical and mental stress, and fosters feelings of being left behind by people who, although not experiencing absolute poverty, are nevertheless ‘poor’ relative to the average standard of living in a wealthy nation. Experts argue that even as absolute poverty declines with economic improvements in developing countries, relative poverty will tend to rise due to the growing aspirations of families in developed and developing nations alike.
In this regard, the theme for this year’s International Day for Eradication of Poverty, which focuses on ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families, underscores that ending poverty is about dignity, justice, and belonging, not just income. This year’s theme focuses on a clear goal of prioritizing those who are furthest behind, and building institutions that help families stay together, thrive, and shape their own futures.
A family-centered approach to social development is also the focus of the upcoming Second World Summit for Social Development—convened by the UN General Assembly and slated to be held from 4–6 November in Doha, Qatar. The agenda for the Second World Summit seeks to translate commitments—made at the first World Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1995—into concrete, measurable change by respecting, protecting, and supporting families.
Convening at the level of Heads of State or Government, the summit aims to address the gaps and recommit to the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, as well as add momentum to the 2030 Sustainable Agenda. Supporting families through coherent, jointly delivered policies across social protection, education, health, housing, and employment, have been shown to advance multiple sustainable goals, including SDGs 1 to 5 and SDGs 8,10 and 16.
Ahead of the summit, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) noted that in a world facing deepening inequalities, demographic shifts, and rapid technological and environmental changes, the Second World Summit provides a crucial platform for global dialogue and collaborative action. By convening multiple stakeholders in social development on a single platform, the summit is expected to provide the pivotal impetus to boost international cooperation for inclusive social development.
Economic growth since 2002 has been remarkable in many developing countries, with faster growth in GDP per capita than in advanced economies. This growth has fuelled poverty reduction and improvements in living standards for people in many countries, but the improvements have not been shared equally by people across the developing world. Disparities in the rate of development have added to the current high level of poverty.
Building a sustainable future for all requires the international community to intensify efforts towards eradicating extreme poverty and discrimination everywhere, and ensuring that everyone today can fully meet their needs and exercise their human rights, and that no one is left behind in the global sustainable development journey.
