Responding to New Threats to Poverty Eradication in Asia

A household participating in BRAC’s Graduation approach in Rangpur, Bangladesh. Credit: BRAC (2021)By Imran Matin and Stephanie LevyDHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb 14 2022 (IPS) With consistent, robust economic growth, countries across Asia have made monumental strides in eradicating extreme poverty over the past 30 years. In Bangladesh, for example, the population living in extreme poverty dropped from 43% in 1991 to 10.5% in 2019. Similarly in Cambodia, poverty incidence fell from 53% in 2004 to below 10% by 2016. In these countries, economic growth has enabled governments to develop new social protection programs, expand existing ones, and make substantial investments in human capital, leading to a more equitable distribution of wealth and enabling inclusive economic growth. However, extreme poverty persists, and progress on poverty eradication has been fragile. Many people remain highly vulnerable to income shocks and threats to their livelihood, facing the risk of falling back into poverty. Social protection systems might not efficiently address the needs of the people who are poorest because of policy designs that lead to insufficient provision of safety nets, or because they fail to identify or reach the populations they aim to serve. New threats to livelihoods from climate change and global pandemics are adding to these policy challenges. Asian policymakers must actively address the need for effective social safety nets not only to protect their economically vulnerable pop...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Asia-Pacific Climate Change COVID-19 Development & Aid Economy & Trade Education Food Security and Nutrition Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Poverty & SDGs TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news