The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is being observed today (October 17) across the world with the aim of uniting against extreme poverty and promoting the exchange of information and awareness about poverty globally.
This year, the day is being marked with the theme:
“Ending Social and Institutional Abuse by Ensuring Respect and Effective Support for Families.”
The day has been observed annually on October 17 since 1993, following a United Nations resolution. The UN defines poverty as a condition in which individuals lack access to basic needs — food, clothing, and shelter.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also set a global target to end poverty in all its forms everywhere. In line with this, the Government of Nepal has implemented several programs aimed at poverty reduction and has set a goal to graduate Nepal from the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to a Developing Nation.
Billions of rupees are being invested through federal, provincial, and local levels in various poverty alleviation programs. However, the overall decline in poverty remains slower than expected.
According to the Nepal Living Standards Survey 2079/80 conducted by the National Statistics Office, 20.27 percent of Nepal’s population still lives below the poverty line. Globally, around 44 percent of people are estimated to be living in poverty.
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