“How can we end world poverty?” always appear to be an extremely difficult question, that no one can give a single direct answer to, but also initially seems insane. If we could end world poverty with just a quick solution, then why haven’t we done it? The answer lies in the solutions to poverty, which, as you can read below, are not quick, cheap or easy solutions, otherwise, poverty would not exist on the scale that it does currently. There are, however, keyways in which poverty could end if they were all to occur at once.
Empowering women and increasing equality
A principal cause of extreme poverty is marginalization. Marginalization is when a group of people are treated as if they are insignificant. Those that are marginalized do not have their voices heard, and so very little representation or consideration is available for them. Female empowerment, particularly in developing countries, often comes from organizations that aim and work to reduce poverty. This can be achieved by increased education for young girls, allowing them to take roles of leadership further on. According to the UN, women’s unpaid labour accounts for $10 trillion annually. Allowing women and other marginalized people to be heard would allow them to be supported to the full extent that they should be.
Improving access to water and sanitation
Increased access to clean water, particularly in developing countries, would mean that those in rural communities would save a significant amount of time going to collect water, particularly women and young girls. Each year, an estimated 200 million hours are spent by women and girls walking long distances to collect water, which is often dirty. Additionally, increased access to water in rural areas would allow for an increase in agricultural productivity, allowing for a better income for those that sell their produce, and an increased amount of food available for their own family.
Ending war and conflict
Of course, this is something that is significantly harder to just end, many conflicts arose from years of dispute, but if all wars were to end, then budgets that have originally been allocated for their funding, could be spent elsewhere, such as for the public service sector, for healthcare, improving water access etc. It would also reduce the risks that vulnerable communities face, reducing the need to flee from conflict. Of course, it varies from country to country, but Syria’s poverty increased from around 12% in 2007 to 83% in 2019, directly because of the civil war and its impacts. There have also been countries that have seen a reduction in poverty, after the end of war and other conflicts. The establishment of a UN peacekeeping operation in Cambodia in 1992 following a civil war allowed a reduction in poverty, from 47.8% in 2007 to 13.5% in 2014.
Focusing on climate change
Resilience against climate change is key to reducing poverty. Climate change is expected to displace millions of people, with one estimate being that 1.2 billion people could be displaced directly because of climate change by 2050. This forced displacement can mean that people lose their homes, possessions and jobs. Climate change is expected to force an additional 100 million people into extreme poverty in the next decade, if no action is taken right now. Natural disasters such as hurricanes cannot be stopped, but as climate change progresses, we can expect more and more natural disasters to occur. Instead, attention can be placed on protecting those that are most vulnerable to climate change, by educating people on protecting their land, what they can do when natural disaster strikes etc.
Increase access to education
Providing children access to quality education means that they grow up with sufficient knowledge and life skills to progress to their full potential in life. According to a report by UNESCO, if all students in LICs (Low income countries) had just basic reading skills, approximately 171 million people could escape from extreme poverty. If everyone in the world completed just secondary education, then the global poverty rate would reduce by over 50%. Education provides work skills, life skills and opportunities, decreases marginalization, and, hence decreases vulnerability.
These are just some of the principal ways that poverty could be reduced in each aspect, if they were all combined then there would be a massive reduction in poverty around the world.