The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the world since last year and reversed the years of gain recorded in the fight against poverty and extreme poverty.
The projected poverty impacts of COVID-19 by the World Bank revealed that between 71 to 100 million people are being pushed into poverty as a result of this disruption, with the number expected to rise to between 143 and 163 million in the year 2021.
These ‘new poor’ will join the ranks of the 1.3 billion people already living in multidimensional and persistent poverty, with most also already existing in South Asian and Sub-Saharan countries.
As we celebrate this year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we join others in activating and strengthening actions geared towards building forward so we can obliterate the hitherto existing endemic structural disadvantages and inequalities that have fuelled poverty. This we can further achieve by creating an atmosphere that leaves no one behind, and enriches people living in poverty with wealth of wisdom, energy and resourcefulness so they can as well contribute to the development of our communities, societies and the earth in general.
Happy International Day for the Eradication of Poverty!
