Sustainable Development  Goal 1 – “No Poverty”

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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) created by the United Nations is a universal call to action to end poverty and to protect the planet. There are 17 SDGs that focus on different areas that support humans and the environment. The goals are intended to strike a balance between all three elements of sustainable development, namely: the society, economy and environment (UN Environment Programme, n.d.). Several countries have committed to working towards the achievement of the SDGs by 2030, and developed countries are encouraged to support developing countries that often lack the resources to achieve the goals by 2030 (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, n.d.). Some of the issues addressed in the goals include poverty, hunger, water and energy security, AIDS, and discrimination against women and girls.

The sustainable development goal (SDG) 1 is titled “No Poverty”, and is aimed at ending poverty in all forms globally. The natural environment supplies ecosystems goods and services such as timber, medicine, etc., which can be used as a source of income and contribute towards alleviating poverty reducing inequalities (Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, n.d.). According to scientists, climate change contributes towards increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters. As temperatures continue to rise the severity of climate-related disasters such as floods keeps increasing and affecting a growing number of people (Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, n.d.). This negatively impacts the efforts made towards eliminating poverty. A large part of the world’s poorest and vulnerable people live in disaster prone countries and their numbers continue to increase. 

SDG 1: No Poverty- Targets 

Below are the SDG 1 targets each target is associated with 2-3 goals that are used to assess the progression of how well each target is being completed. Thus each target is contributing to the outcome of eradicating poverty. 

1.1 By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

1.2 By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

1.3 Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

1.4 By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular 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 forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

1.5 By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters

1.A Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions

1.B Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions

The Challenge

In urban settings relying primarily on economic growth alone is not enough to eradicate poverty because of other factors such as education, health care, and water sanitation. Several government and city policies that have been implemented fail to provide the necessary social services needed for communities to thrive (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). Populations in rural areas often face even greater challenges due to poverty, for example, climate change, environmental threats, and rapid population growth are putting uneven pressures on the livelihoods of people living in rural areas and affect poverty levels. With these challenges the importance of managing resources and ecosystems need to be addressed in order to reduce poverty. 

A Shift in Policy Priorities  [Adapted from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations]

Eradicating extreme poverty by 2030 requires significant shifts in policy priorities so that no one is denied their fundamental human rights and economic prospects. Any new policy or development agenda should highlight and lessen social inequalities. There should be a focus on building more effective, diversified, and resilient economies by adopting climate-smart and sustainable production practices. 

Reducing poverty requires ecological and resource sustainability. With a growing global population comes increasing demands for food production. It is therefore vital for food producers to acquire affordable and accessible technologies to support and transform food production systems to prevent land degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss. 

Increasing job diversification in non-agricultural activities will be essential to accelerate both rural and urban poverty reduction. This will stimulate local employment creation, leading to better social protection and improving society’s livelihoods. Social protection leads to enhanced health and education for women and children who, in some countries, are primarily disadvantaged. 

In addressing political policies that govern our society, early investments in education and health, and nutrition are essential for the next generation. This will help eradicate poverty and hunger by significantly reducing inequalities children face when dealing with poverty. Addressing malnutrition will reduce poverty by enhancing youth’s physical and cognitive development through sufficient diets that will lead to a healthy livelihood. 

 5 Tools to end Poverty

Plan International Canada is a charity that works to advance human rights and education for girls around the world. They have identified five tools that can be used to support children and families facing poverty. 

1. Quality Education: Education allows youth to acquire skills and knowledge to reach their full potential. Plan International supports access to quality education training, informing staff and educators, and building new schools. 
2. Access to Health Care: Access to quality and accessible health care is essential to the well-being of society. Plan International helps to create communities and train and equip healthcare workers to provide job opportunities and nourish strong and healthy children to young adults.
3. Water and Sanitation: Clean water and sanitation are essential for survival; Plan International Canada provides school latrines and community points that are maintained and managed. 
4. Economic Security: Plan International Canada defines economic security as people having the skills and resilience to withstand economic difficulties. The charity will work to help financially secure individuals to thrive. 
5. Child Participation: Children are considered in all decision-making processes, informed of their rights and roles within their community, and given a chance to make informed decisions about their future. 

“Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth,… these are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security and women’s empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all.” 

— Ban Ki-moon

Empowering Youths to Eradicate Poverty

Fall EKCEP is our fall program and will commence in 2022. It will run for nine weeks, starting September 13th, 2022  and ending November 12th, 2022. Registration is open for the Fall program.

Are you looking for an impactful activity for your youths for this fall? Check out EKCEP! Our EnvironFocus Knowledge and Culture Exchange Program (EKCEP) is a transformative youth educational program that provides an avenue for teachers and children from developed and developing countries to work together to solve sustainability issues affecting continents. Fall EKCEP is our summer program for high school students aged 13-18. It will run for nine weeks, starting September 13 and ending November 12th, 2022. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 No Poverty will be the topic of this year’s fall program. Students will work together to create a project that targets an issue within their community that works towards eradicating poverty within SDG 1 so that it can be achieved!

The cost to participate per high school student is $850 CAD. Register here to reserve your spot today! Payment will be required to reserve a spot. Deadline to make payment is September 12th, 2022. Click here to make a payment. 

Please contact: info@ekcep.ca for further questions or inquires about financial support. 

References

Goal 1 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal1

GOAL 1: No poverty | UNEP – UN Environment Programme. (n.d.). Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/sustainable-development-goals/why-do-sustainable-development-goals-matter/goal-1-no

Poverty eradication .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. (n.d.). Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/povertyeradication

Poverty eradication | Sustainable Development Goals | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://www.fao.org/sustainable-development-goals/overview/fao-and-the-2030-agenda-for-sustainable-development/poverty-eradication/en/

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