poverty

The highly successful fight against global poverty is being lost badly in one critical area – people’s minds. A new global survey reveals that 87% of people around the world believe that global poverty has either stayed the same or gotten worse over the past 20 years, when the exact opposite is true.

More than 7,000 people trying to reach Italy have died in the central Mediterranean since 2014. Much less is known however about those who have died trying to reach the sea, crossing the endless desert zone in northeastern Niger. In the city of Agadez, young migrants live basically locked in a clandestine ghetto, waiting to take the next truck to the Libyan border.

Increasing aid and making it more effective can help poor people become more politically active in decisions that affect them, while also supporting governments to become more accountable and plot their own path to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

“The G20 reiterated previous commitments to reduce inequality, boost the participation of women in work and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies. The G20 said they would draw up a proper response to the refugee and migrant challenge next year, which is too late. The world needs urgent action now, not more words.”

This year’s G20 Summit will raise the stakes for the group to prove itself against growing doubts about its effectiveness – not least for people living in poverty, says Oxfam.

Generational inequality has grown at an alarming rate, paralleling the rise in the gap between rich and poor. Despite their potential and strength in numbers, youth continue to be culturally and politically marginalized. Yet, they could be instrumental in finding solutions to the challenges of poverty.

The Malawi government has launched a Humanitarian Response Plan for people affected by drought, but lives could be at risk unless more money is found soon.

Today’s World Wealth Report from Capgemini shows that times have never been better for the world’s wealthiest - since 2009 more than 4.5 million new millionaires have been created, rising to a total of 15.4 million millionaires across the world last year. Yet while the wealthy prosper, 702 million people living in extreme poverty are being left behind.

As the blockade imposed by Israel approaches its 9th anniversary, it continues to devastate the lives and livelihoods of 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza. This collective punishment keeps people poor, denies them their rights and fails to make Israel safer, Oxfam said today.

The package of measures announced by governments attending the anti-corruption summit in London today will not stop tax cheats, said Oxfam. Politicians from over 40 countries, along with World Bank and IMF representatives, attended the conference.