Background
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Background
Across the globe, over 1 billion people are living in multidimensional poverty in nearly 110 countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has halted decades of poverty reduction progress, leading to the first rise in the number of people living in extreme poverty in a generation and the largest surge in between-country inequality in three decades. The impacts of the climate crisis, increased war and fragility, a weak global economy, and the lingering effects of the pandemic have revealed weaknesses and hindered progress towards the 2030 Agenda, with the world’s poorest and most vulnerable experiencing the worst effects of these unprecedented global challenges. If current trends continue, 575 million people (of which 342 million women and girls ) will still be living in extreme poverty, globally, and only one-third of countries will have halved their national poverty levels by 2030.
Amidst these multifaceted global risks and uncertainties, a series of recent reports across 90+ countries on SDG trends, national priorities, interlinkages, and potential futures, reveal that countries around the world are increasingly prioritizing the achievement of broad-based inclusive growth measures to accelerate poverty reduction and leave no one behind. These include creation of quality jobs, livelihoods, and income generation opportunities, skills development, and strong social protection measures, with the need to reconcile national ambitions on a just and green energy transition.
The Political Declaration of the 2023 SDG Summit emphasizes the role of multi-level governance and global, regional, national, and local partnerships for sustainable development, engaging all relevant stakeholders, including local and regional governments, civil society, private sector, academia and youth, to enhance the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. In order to achieve transformative progress on the 2030 Agenda across the UN system, the 2030 SDG Summit also galvanized a series of 12 High Impact Initiatives, including the SDG Stimulus to scale up long-term and affordable financing for the SDGs, the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions through multilateral cooperation and integrated policies and financing, and the Local2030 Coalition given that two-thirds of the SDGs cannot be achieved unless local and regional governments and stakeholders are fully involved and empowered to drive implementation at the local level.
Objectives of the segment
The SDG 1 Action Segment of the 2024 ECOSOC Partnership Forum will focus on the theme of “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions”, while highlighting concrete actions and partnerships that are needed to drive the achievement of the targets of SDG 1. The discussions will focus on three key major trends and will investigate durable solutions:
- Concentration of Poverty and Geographic Disparities: By 2030, the majority of developing countries are projected to have regions falling behind national averages, where extreme poverty is prevalent. Notably, effective practices utilizing sub-national, geo-referenced, and AI-driven data are observed among countries and communities to precisely target interventions, striving to enhance development outcomes for marginalized groups. Working together with stakeholders at different levels, local and regional governments play an essential role in designing place-based policies to reduce poverty and territorial inequalities, by addressing the specific and diverse needs and aspirations of local communities, based on human rights, democracy, and subsidiarity.
- Growing fragility and conflict: On the current trajectory, by 2030 up to two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor will live in fragile and conflict-affected countries. Globally, about 110 million people endure forced internal and external displacement due to persecution, conflict, violence, and human rights violations, with women and girls facing a disproportionately higher risks and burdens. Climate change has increased natural disasters, resource scarcity, and environmental degradation, further contributing to increased fragility and displacement. As such, the intersection of climate change with socio-political issues compounds existing challenges, making gender-responsive resilience and adaptive strategies more crucial than ever.
- Demographic transformation: Changing population age structures significantly influence developmental paths in countries, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Countries grappling with high poverty rates often harbour substantial youthful populations yet struggle to harness the potential benecits (e.g. youth dividend). Meanwhile, numerous middle-income countries are already experiencing rapid aging, intensifying pressure on inadequate social support systems. pensions Women in particular are more likely to face economic insecurity in old age due to persistent gender gaps in pay, savings, and pensions, coupled with a longer life expectancy compared to men. To promote social inclusion measures, countries must observe how race, gender, income levels, and other identities intersect, creating unique experiences of discrimination or access to opportunities for individuals.
The discussion panel is expected to reflect on the key enablers and actionable strategies, such as financial mechanisms (considering issues such as debt sustainability, taxation, financial flows etc.), inclusive partnerships, technological advances and innovation, policy development, and improved public services, to advance SDG1 globally
Organized by
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Public-Private Partnerships and Islamic Social Financing
- Local Authorities Major Group
- Women’s Major Group
- Business and Industry Major Group
- NGO Committee on Financing for Development
For any additional questions, please contact SDG1@undp.org (Attn. United Nations Development Programme)
Concept note and programme
Summary
Participation
The SDG Action Segments are open to all in-person attendees of the ECOSOC Partnership Forum. The Segments will be available to follow along virtually on UN Web TV.
Concept Notes
Summaries
