The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than $1.25 a day. Today, over 1.3 billion people in developing countries fall under this definition of poverty.
Poverty is more than a minimal income. It is inextricably linked to malnutrion, hunger, illiteracy, disease, gender inequality and nearly every other development issue. And according to the United Nations, “People living in poverty face increasingly difficult challenges as climate change, environmental degradation and rising food prices threaten their livelihoods and survival.”
The 2011 Commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP) taking place today, October 17, 2011, at the United Nations headquarters in New York City is an opportunity to “acknowledge the efforts of people living in poverty and to have their voices heard.” The event, with a theme of “From Poverty to Sustainability: People at the Centre of Inclusive Development,” will emphasize the urgency of poverty as a development issue and, hopefully, reaffirm the goals of Millennium Development Goal 1: Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.
