UN commemorates poverty eradication day

The United Nations has commemorated the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty with its Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivering a speech on the significance of poverty alleviation efforts.

Over 200 UN officials and representatives from international organizations attended the Wednesday event and called on actions to alleviate poverty.

“Poverty is not inevitable. It is not a natural state of being or occurrence. It is most often the outcome of choices that societies have made. Today we must choose to build a fair globalization that creates opportunities for all. We need policies that create a strong enabling economic environment and that promote access to education, health services, decent work and social protection to everybody. And we need policies that dismantle barriers that contribute to the perpetuation of poverty”, Guterres said.

Guterres also said that 10 percent of the world’s population remains in extreme poverty adding that more than 700 million people are unable to meet their basic daily needs.

The UN chief stressed the timeliness to recall the proclamation of “freedom from want” as being among the highest aspirations of the world’s people.

Designated to promote awareness about the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed every year since 1993.