–A UNDP 2023 report reveals, says 700 million people live in extreme poverty
By Jerromie S. Walters
The UNDP Global Annual Report 2023 has been released and reveals that ending poverty in all its dimensions requires addressing the social and structural roots of gender inequality. The report highlights that unpaid care work, which represents 11% of global GDP, or around $12 trillion per year, is predominantly shouldered by women.
The report was released on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, with specific emphasis on the importance of addressing the structural barriers to gender equality through enhanced social protection systems, care policies, and fiscal reforms, as well as expanding women’s access to essential services.
In Bogotá, Colombia, where approximately 1.2 million women provide unpaid care, the municipality, in partnership with UNDP, UN Women, the World Bank, and others, developed a Care Service Mapping Tool. This tool matches the demand and supply of care services and increases accessibility for women. It has already been replicated in Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.
The report also highlights that almost 700 million people live in extreme poverty, predominantly in conflict-affected countries and rural areas. Additionally, one-third of adults, equivalent to 1.7 billion people, are still unbanked, and 675 million lack access to electricity. The report warns that if unchecked, the climate crisis may drive 135 million people into poverty by 2030.
UNDP’s ambition through its Poverty Moonshot is to help 100 million people escape persistent multidimensional poverty and vulnerabilities by 2025. This will be achieved through systemic change focusing on creating jobs and livelihoods, supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises, improving social protection coverage, enhancing access to social services, and expanding financial inclusion.
Furthermore, the report reveals that despite progress in preventing and treating HIV, AIDS claimed one life every minute in 2022. Marginalized groups continue to be left behind, with 9.2 million people living with HIV receiving no treatment during that year. UNDP’s partnership with the Global Fund has strengthened health outcomes, preparedness, and systems in 57 countries, providing antiretroviral treatment for HIV to 1.68 million people and conducting over 31 million HIV tests.
In terms of climate action, the report notes that 2023 was the hottest year on record. UNDP’s Climate Promise has supported developing countries to raise their Nationally Determined Contributions ambition, with the goal of achieving the 1.5°C target. The organization’s global climate portfolio totaled $2.3 billion at the end of 2023, supporting 142 countries and benefiting over 37 million people.
UNDP’s Energy Moonshot aims to increase access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy, essential for economic growth and poverty reduction. Projects have mitigated 82 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions since 2022, equivalent to taking 18 million cars off the road. Initiatives in countries like Armenia and Cuba are contributing to decarbonization and inclusive energy access.
The report also highlights the global progress on SDG 16 indicators, emphasizing the importance of inclusive governance and peaceful societies. With more than half of the world’s population going to the polls in 2024, UNDP stresses the need to address challenges such as political polarization, misinformation, and non-acceptance of election outcomes to prevent violence and instability.
To leave no one behind, UNDP aims to reach low-income and vulnerable groups, youth, women, and informal workers. Partnerships have supported job creation, social protection systems, and financial inclusion in 97 countries, benefiting over 20 million people in fragile contexts alone.
Moreover, the UNDP Global Annual Report 2023 underscores the interconnectedness of various global challenges and the need for comprehensive and collaborative solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Through its initiatives and partnerships, UNDP continues to work towards a more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous world for all.
“However, challenges such as extreme political polarization, misinformation in the media, and
non-acceptance of election outcomes can lead to violence and instability.
UNDP takes a holistic approach to governance, enhancing people’s participation and respect for human rights -particularly for women, youth and other marginalized groups – and strengthening accountability and rule of law,” the report states.
It continues, “Our SDG Insights and Human Development Reports use advanced analytics and systems thinking to identify interlinkages and knock-on effects with the best potential to accelerate the!SDGS. UNDP launched 95 Integrated SDG Insights Reports in collaboration with governments ahead of the SDG Summit in 2023. Our collective efforts have impact. For example, UNDP is supporting the creation of 50 million jobs for youth across Africa. Today, a network of 32 country chapters of YouthConnekt (pictured below) provides financing and training to youth-owned businesses. With each business having
the potential to employ 10+ people, YouthConnekt creates a multiplier effect to reach scale.”
At the same time, the report says Conflict proliferated from Sudan to Ukraine to Gaza, with the highest number of conflicts worldwide in 80 years. Incredible technological advances, too, began exposing their own vulnerabilities: for instance, artificial intelligence-powered misinformation was considered the world’s biggest short-term threat by the business community and the cloud generated a bigger carbon footprint than the airline industry. Important development advances were overshadowed by pervasive inequalities: the gender gap in education narrowed, with some glaring exceptions like Afghanistan, and yet women had equal legal rights to men in only 14 countries in the world.
