International Poverty Eradication Day

Each 17th of October, around the globe, we mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, a day recognized by the United Nations in 1992. Each year, we take stock of the progress made in eradicating poverty, the challenges that remain, and what we must do on our way forward.

Recent history has not been gentle towards the poorest in society. The COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, slow economic growth combined with increased inflation, and extreme weather conditions synonym of climate change, continue to put a strain on the already precarious lives of those most vulnerable.

October 17 is therefore the day when we bring the reduction of poverty to the forefront of the development discussion and propose solutions that, accelerated, have the potential to break the cycle for the millions of people enduring the violence of poverty.

This year’s focus is on decent work and social protection to put dignity in practice for all. Although the promise of the right to work and a life in dignity is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, people who live in poverty continue to lack access to decent work and social protection. 630 million of the ‘working poor’ have no decent living conditions and women worldwide continue to earn less than men whilst occupying more sub-standard jobs. This year’s theme once again highlights that poverty is related to more than just income. Poverty is multidimensional in its nature and hits all levels of the daily life of people. It is about important areas such as nutrition, child mortality, years of schooling, school attendance, availability of cooking fuel, access to sanitation, drinking water and electricity, housing, and ownership of assets. Focusing simply on increasing the income of people will not solve the problem. Poverty needs to be attacked on all fronts and in a manner so that we can provide a dignified life for all the furthest left behind.

As per World Bank data, in 2020, Kosovo’s upper middle-income poverty rate stood at 32.4%. the projected poverty rate for 2023 is expected to fall to 23.5%, and subsequently in 2024 to 22.2%.

Accompanying this decrease is a GDP growth that has been steady and is expected to reach 3.2% in 2023, driven by positive export performance and private consumption, and accelerate towards 4% in 2024.

Whilst the data is positive for Kosovo, vigilance is required towards negative external factors that might become a challenge for the continued reduction of the poverty rate. As per a recent World Bank Report, uncertainties caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are affecting the entire world but Europe most of all leading to a slowdown of economic growth in the EU. This in turn leads to a weakening of the contribution of diaspora flows to private consumption and service exports is expected to weaken. In addition, the contribution of government transfers to private consumption is expected to slow.

On a positive note, Kosovo’s implementation of the recently adopted Law on Public Wages will contribute to consumption resilience and growth. The implementation of the Energy Strategy, as well as investments, both public and private, are expected to provide a positive contribution to growth in 2023 and beyond.

What is UNDP’s role considering the above? Globally, UNDP’s mandate is to fight poverty in all its forms. Since it was established in 1999, the UNDP office in Kosovo has continuously, together with international and local partners, worked to improve people’s lives. We have delivered active labour market measures for more than 15 years, supporting youth and women in skills development and employment opportunities. 22,000 people from all communities benefitted from skills and income-generation opportunities. Lately, our focus has also been on providing digital skills for youth to empower them and increase their employability in technological fields.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we supported more than 8,000 families over one year with basic food and hygienic items. In addition, UNDP has supported more than 400 girls in secondary education to explore opportunities in science fields and graduates to enter the labour market. Finally, we have reached more than 1,000 farmers to upgrade their family-based businesses and establish social enterprises to promote food processing. These are just a few examples.

We continue committed to working at the policy level, promoting strategic reforms, but also in urban and rural areas to provide skills, labour opportunities and sustainable economic development tools and methodologies to women and youth.

Poverty differs from place to place, and it is certainly a complex societal issue. No matter how we look at it, this terrible phenomenon requires the mobilization of capacities of every member of society, with a focus on women and youth. It is important that every individual, no matter of gender, religion and age have an opportunity to contribute to society and its economic growth while reaching its full potential.

Look around and you will see that the richest countries in the world are those with the highest socially inclusive standards. We collectively must and will increase our efforts to move forward and ensure that those most in need and left behind are able to live and work with dignity.

Op-Ed in Alb

Op-Ed in Srb