Can We End of Poverty in a Decade?
In July of 2017, the UN released its latest update on their progress toward 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The No. 1 goal on that list is “No poverty by 2030.”
Some business and public sector leaders have been taken aback by how audacious that goal sounds. Is it reasonable, they ask, to imagine that poverty could be eradicated in just a little over a decade? What they may not realize is that nearly a billion people have escaped extreme poverty since 1999. Only three quarters of a billion now remain below the poverty line. Our generation can and must address this situation.
At Innovation360, we stand behind the UN’s goals. We are confident, based on hard data, that it is not only possible, it is our responsibility as world citizens to reach these goals as soon as possible.
Although our dear, departed Hans Rosling didn’t see the UN’s status report this summer, he did do a great deal to move us closer to those goals. He dedicated his life to making data come alive, helping the world clearly see precisely how to improve global health and eliminate global poverty. In 2015, the year the UN proposed their Sustainable Development Goals, Hans Rosling presented a visual guide to showing how it could be done within 15 years, matching the UN’s deadline.
Of course, ending poverty is merely the beginning. The UN’s goals include other grand objectives like zero hunger, well-being for people of all ages, universal education and clean water for all.
At Innovation360, we are committed to doing our part to support the UN’s mission through expanding the number and success rate of innovative projects. By doing so in a sustainable way, we will also contribute to addressing the world’s toughest challenges related to the equitable distribution of Food, Energy, Water, Security, Global Health, Education, Environment, and Access to Space.
‘There’s no question that our species has the resources to provide a decent life for all 7.6 billion who call this planet home, if we can only summon our collective will. Once we do, we can begin to unlock humanity’s full potential.