An Overview of SDG 1: No Poverty

The United Nations set up seventeen goals in 2015, related to global development, to be achieved by 2030. This works as a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all and is collectively known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The first SDG is, No Poverty and this aims to eradicate poverty across the globe by the year, 2030. Global statistics had witnessed a steady decrease in poverty across the globe, up to 2020.  The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed an estimated 119-124 million individuals’ to poverty, making countries across the globe increase their efforts to fulfil this goal by 2030.

Often, when the goal is discussed in the press or in a forum, the specific sub-goals under SDG 1 are rarely discussed or addressed.  The awareness of this sub-goals is crucial since they help us plan, analyse and determine the fulfilment of the goal of eliminating poverty. The sub-goals are as follows:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty people across the world and is currently measured as those living on less than USD1.90 a day

2. Reduction of proportion by 50% of men, women and children across age groups, living in poverty in all dimensions, according to national definitions

3. Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

4. Ensure all men and women, poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, basic services, natural resources, new technology and control over the property

5. Build resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations; reduce their vulnerability to climate-related events and other economic, social, environmental shocks and disasters

6. Ensure significant mobilization of resources to provide adequate means for developing countries to implement programmes and policies to end poverty of all forms

7. Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional, and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies

Based on the above, individuals, organisations, and governments across the globe need to base their strategies on the goals as well as sub-goals to bring in a focussed approach to the eradication of social evils in specific communities.

In this series of articles, we will discuss each of the SDGs in detail to understand the role of countries and stakeholders to fulfil these sustainable development goals.