The assessment by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) looks at preliminary socio-economic impacts, warning that poverty could spike while Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could plummet by 8.4 per cent, which translates into a loss of $1.7 billion. Lamenting the loss...
In separate letters to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, DoorDash CEO Tony Xu and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, the UN-appointed independent expert on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, requested a response to reports of inadequate pay, aggressive union-busting tactics, and the misclassification of workers as “independent contractors”, intentionally depriving them of...
Marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Mr. Guterres pointed out that nearly 700 million people are living on less than $2.15 per day and over a billion don’t have access to basic needs like food, water, health care and education. Billions more lack sanitation and access to energy,...
The findings show that 333 million children worldwide are living in extreme poverty – a decrease of almost 50 million over the course of the past decade. However, the report’s authors say that millions more should have been lifted out of extreme poverty had it not been for three years...
Period poverty, or the inability to afford menstrual products, is a serious issue especially in developing countries, an issue menstruating girls and women grapple with monthly and a spotlight topic on Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed annually on 28 May. “I’m happy to come work here because I meet and work...
To mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, the UN agency has released a report highlighting progress and challenges in delivering care for these 20 conditions, which mainly affect the world’s poorest people. NTDs are caused by a variety of pathogens including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and toxins, and can be...
“We estimate that up to around nine million people – additional people – could be pushed into poverty due to the flood impact” said Knut Ostby, UNDP Resident Representative in Pakistan. Climate risk knows no borders Although the Pakistan flooding was “unprecedented”, it could happen to other countries affected by...
“With the right policies in place, digital technology can give an unprecedented boost to sustainable development, particularly for the poorest countries,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a press release. “This calls for more connectivity; and less digital fragmentation. More bridges across digital divides; and fewer barriers. Greater autonomy for ordinary people;...
Global monthly wages fell in real terms to -0.9 per cent in the first half of the year, the study found, marking the first instance of negative growth this century. As a result, the purchasing power of middle-class families has been reduced, while low-income households have been hit particularly hard....