More than 700 million people today live in extreme poverty, i.e. they earn less than USD 1.9 a day. More women than men live in poverty, partly due to lack of education and general gender inequality in many countries.
The number of extremely poor has decreased as we have actually become more and more people on the planet. It's incredibly positive. But 700 million living in poverty is still far too many. People die every day from hunger, children grow up without getting enough food and often become malnourished. Malnutrition can set traces in the genes and it can actually take up to several generations before inherited traces of a famine are gone.
War, climate changes and pandemics (like the one we are experiencing right now with Corona) are the main causes of extreme poverty.
Global Goal 1 consists of 7 sub-targets that not all easily understood.
By 2030, extreme poverty must be eradicated for all people anywhere in the world, currently measured as people living on less than USD 1.90 a day.
By 2030, it must be ensured that all men and women, especially the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other types of property, heritage, natural resources, appropriate new technologies and financial services, including microfinance.
By 2030, the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions should be halved according to national definitions.
By 2030, resilience must be built up in the poor and in people living in vulnerable situations, and their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters must be reduced.
Nationally adapted social security systems and measures must be implemented for all, including lower limits, and by 2030 substantial coverage of the poor and vulnerable groups must be achieved.
A significant mobilisation of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, must be ensured in order to provide adequate and predictable funds to developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, for the implementation of programmes and policies to eradicate poverty in all its dimensions.
Der skal skabes solide politiske rammer på nationalt, regionalt og internationalt plan, baseret på udviklingsstrategier med særlig fokus på de fattige og på ligestilling, for at støtte fremskyndelse af investeringer i tiltag til udryddelse af fattigdom.
As a private individual, you can also make a difference.
It is important to have some opinions on how you want to help others.
Support aid organizations, think about what you buy, where do the goods come from and how does the whole value chain hang together before the item lands at your home.
Keep your municipality (via your local city council politicians) up to the fact that it should have an action plan including the SDGs as an active part of the municipality's policy. Too many municipalities in Denmark have no plan.
Be active, participate in the debate and actively engage the World Goals in your own everyday life.
Below you will find an overview of various organisations and certification schemes that combat poverty. Support with a membership or look for one of the certification marks when you shop. This applies both when shopping clothes, shoes, food, furniture or e.g. new kitchen.
It is your everyday choices that make a difference to others!
SOS Children's Villages helps children who are without family or vulnerable families.
The purpose of SOS Children's Villages is to provide as many orphans and vulnerable children as possible with a safe childhood with a family, a home and education.
SOS Children's Towns has very low administrative costs, i.e. only 10%. This ensures that as much of the money collected goes directly to the places they are needed.
You can also support a child directly by becoming a sponsor.
Plan International is another organization which is also recognized as a partner with the UN and the World Goals.
Plan International focuses on specific areas such as girls rights, youth and education and provides micro loans to young entrepreneurs who want to develop their local communities.
Buy products that are Fairtrade labeled.
Fairtrade is an international labelling scheme that ensures that producers in developing countries get it for their products as they should.
Fairtrade helps small family farms and workers to live a decent life. Fairtrade's minimum prices for the sale of raw materials protect farmers from fluctuating prices on the world market.
FSC Forest Stewardship Council is an international non-profit labelling scheme for wood and paper. FSC does not produce or sell goods, but is a pure labelling scheme.
The FSC mark means that in an FSC forest, no more wood is ever felled than the forest can reproduce. At the same time, the FSC ensures that animals and plants are protected and that the people working in the forest are trained and receive proper safety equipment and salaries.
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) helps, among other things, to ensure that textile workers receive social rights that guarantee them a minimum wage and an upper limit on the number of hours worked.
Many textile companies are now members of GOTS and thus ensure a reasonable wage for workers with their subcontractors.
The international standardisation organisation ISO also works with the World Goals in their standards. Here you will find an overview of the standards that underpin the Global Goal 1 No Poverty.
The standards range far and wide but are important, as the products we buy are produced according to these standards.
Save the Children works to give children around the world a better life. In Denmark, there is a push to prevent bullying in schools and institutions, as well as to combat all forms of violence and sexual abuse against children.
The organization helps children living in poverty and organises holiday camps and experiences for the children in Denmark who come from the most disadvantaged conditions.
Fair Wear is an international labelling scheme that sets labour standards in the clothing industry, to which members then commit.
Among other things, they carry out factory reviews on members (audit), agreeing minimum wage, safety and working hours so that workers can be guaranteed regulated working conditions.
Here you will find an overview of the members of Fair Wear.
Certified B Corporation evaluates and certifies companies that meet high standards in areas such as social responsibility and environmental impacts, transparency and legal accountability.
B Corp. works to minimize inequality, including poverty.
You'll find many different businesses here, also business in service and hospitality industry, which I find quite interesting.
Leave A Reply