Key policy messages and recommendations on effective strategies for eradicating poverty

UNDESA's Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) organized an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on the priority theme of the 56th session of the Commission for Social Development: “Strategies for Eradicating Poverty to Achieve Sustainable Development for All”. The EGM was held from 8 to 11 May 2017 at UN Headquarters in New York.

The objective of the EGM was to make specific policy recommendations on effective strategies for eradicating poverty in all its forms, including extreme poverty in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to evaluate the implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017). Experts from government, academia, think tanks, civil society, and the UN system participated in the meeting.

The EGM had two segments: the first segment examined policies for eradicating poverty to achieve sustainable development for all and the second segment reviewed the implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, including the UN system-wide Plan of Action on the Decade. The experts deliberated on national experiences in eradicating poverty and made recommendations on strategies and policies that could spur poverty eradication efforts in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Each substantive session consisted of presentations by experts and a discussion. During the closing session, a short summary of each thematic session was presented by the moderator of each session. This report summarizes the main points from all the sessions and highlights key messages and recommendations.

The EGM noted the remarkable progress that had been made to reduce poverty in both absolute numbers and headcount ratio at the global, regional and national levels. However, efforts to further reduce poverty depend on very rapid growth going forward and a reduction in inequality.