Poverty Eradication General Assembly

The report has been prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 74/120 on promoting social integration through social inclusion. The report focuses on digital and financial inclusion and their importance for the overall social inclusion of all, in particular young persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, and indigenous peoples.

In the report, the Secretary-General reviews the progress made, including by the United Nations system, in implementing the Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018–2027), examines gaps and challenges in that regard, and the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The report concludes with a set of recommendations.

In the report, the Secretary-General emphasizes the need to strengthen international cooperation with regard to social development, focusing in particular on the significant increase and/or more efficient utilization of the resources allocated to social development, in order to achieve the goals set forth at the World Summit for Social Development. He also examines the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis on social development and underscores the importance of preserving levels of social spending to better support national policies and strategies for better recovery and to enable Member States to get back on track in their implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He further presents the outcomes of the fifty – eighth session of the Commission for Social Development and concludes by setting out policy recommendations for consideration by the Assembly.

The focus of the present note is the effects of major global trends – specifically technological innovation, climate change, urbanization and international migration – on inequality. The examination provided, including the policy recommendations on how to manage these trends equitably, encompasses the main findings of the forthcoming World Social Report.

The report contains an examination of the current state of rural poverty and the gaps and challenges to eradicating it, especially in developing countries, as well as recommendations for overcoming the numerous gaps and challenges.