The first Millennium Goal is society’s only chance of rectifying the threatening problems concerning extreme poverty and hunger. The core of the Goal is organized and reasonable, and progress in areas such as Eastern Asia and Southern Asia proves that achieving the Goal is ultimately possible. However, when the Goal was first instigated, certain regions of the world, like Sub-Saharan Africa, were not taken into full consideration, and now the problems in these areas nearly outweigh the progress. We are proposing that bill S. 1315 be amended to extend the Goal further by at least ten years in order for Sub-Saharan Africa and similar regions to make significant progress in the direction of reducing poverty and hunger. Twenty-five years is clearly not a reasonable amount of time to correct these certain issues, but by extending the deadline for the Goal to be met, it is possible to continue the promising progress and eventually eradicate extreme poverty and hunger worldwide.
Studies have shown that as long as economic growth remains steady, extreme global poverty is likely to fall to 10% by 2015, which will fulfill this goal. However, Sub-Saharan Africa is not expected to participate in the achieving of this goal, which is an issue that needs to be corrected before it is too late. According to the Department for International Development, Sub-Saharan Africa is currently in very high poverty and is not expected to meet the target. West Asia has low poverty but no change or negative progress has occurred, which likely means this region will also not meet the target. Some areas of Latin America, the Caribbean, and Commonwealth of Independent States in Europe and Asia have had little progress thus far but the progress is insufficient to meet the target. If the bill was amended to extend the deadline for Goal one until at least 2025, issues centered on these regions could be focused on and attacked properly. It is not possible for these areas to achieve the Goal by 2015; giving up and admitting defeat is not a reasonable option, but achieving the Goal later is better than never achieving it at all.
The progress that has occurred since the Goal’s instigation in 1990 is hopeful and proof that the first Goal does, generally, actually work. Because of growth in China and India, Asia is making excellent progress. In East and Southeast Asia, the Goal has already been met; in South Asia, the Goal has almost been met and progress is on the right track. In these regions, the number of people living in extreme poverty decreased from 472-million in 1990 to 271-million in 2001. The same goes for smaller, developing regions of the world. Economic growth is key for the reduction of poverty, as demonstrated by China and India. Countries that have had the most economic growth have also seen the greatest poverty reductions. In Sub-Saharan Africa, such growth is not as successful, and if population growth exceeds economic growth, the rate of poverty may still increase. This is a situation that needs to be focused on in the oncoming years in order to improve conditions in and in areas similar to Sub-Saharan Africa.
During the last decade, the number of people living in extreme poverty in this area of Africa increased by 86-million. However, the World Bank expects a reversal of this growing trend, and between 2006 and 2015, positive growth of 1.6% is anticipated. If the Goal were to be extended further, more positive growth would be expected as well as significant progress. Within the next decade, Sub-Saharan Africa would need to achieve an economic growth rate of 5% in order to reach the target for the year 2015. With more focus on this region, along with the current projects and foundations that are being established, this figure should be achievable by at least 2025, if not sooner.
As far as hunger goes, East and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Commonwealth of Independent States in Europe are all expected to reach the goal by 2015. South Asia, West Asia, smaller developing regions, and Sub-Saharan Africa are once again not predicated to participate in the achievement of the goal. It is certainly possible to reduce hunger, but only if poverty is reduced first, as hunger and poverty are directly connected. The world produces enough food; the issues lie in distributing the food to poverty-ridden populations and making the food affordable. Although all people can suffer from hunger, children are of the greatest concern, since more than a quarter of children in the developing world are malnourished. The first few years in a person’s life are the most critical, and if hunger and poverty are prevalent through this years, that most likely means shelter, health, nutrition, and education are limited or nonexistent. These are the adults of the future, and if these problems are not corrected now, these children will be affected not only now but also later, if they are even able to survive until adulthood.
Sine 1992, the number of malnourished people in developing countries has decreased by 20 million. More than thirty countries, a total population of 2.2 billion, have also reduced the frequency of malnourishment by 25%. These figures prove that progress is indeed possible, and by 2025, an even larger amount of significant progress would be expected if the Goal were extended to that time.
In the past, strategies to reduce poverty have focused too much on the symptoms of hunger directly, such as providing food aid, rather than the foundation for the problems. This approach needs to be modified. Emphasis needs to be placed on not only poverty and how it affects hunger, but also the accessibility and affordability of food in poverty-ridden regions. Lack of access to foods, services, markets, and knowledge are all reasons why hunger still prevails. By amending the current version of this bill to extend the deadline year for Goal one to 2025, areas that will not achieve the goal by 2015 will be able to make more progress and, ultimately, eradicate extreme hunger and poverty by the corrected year.
