Global Policy Forum

By Dharam Ghai

The gathering of heads of government from all over the world at the dawn of a new millennium is an extraordinary event. It should be an occasion for bold thinking and ambitious projects. There are few ideas more compelling and worthy of consideration than a firm commitment by the world leadership to banish absolute poverty to the dustbin of history. This would not only put an end to unnecessary suffering but also enable people everywhere to lead a life of dignity and realize their full potential. Abolition of world poverty would also contribute to the achievement of such cherished objectives as peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality and environmental protection.

Of course there is nothing new in the idea of poverty eradication. Governments, multilateral organizations and voluntary groups have repeatedly advocated and committed themselves to this objective. What is lacking so far is a generally agreed comprehensive operational plan for poverty elimination that can galvanize energies and provide a focus for concerted action by governments, agencies and individuals.

A plan of this nature should have four elements. It should first set forth time bound targets for poverty elimination. Drawing upon data on the nature, dimensions and location of poverty, the world's leaders should commit themselves to remove absolute poverty everywhere by the year 2020. In concrete terms, this means universal access to essential services such as primary education, basic health care, clean water, sanitation and shelter; attainment of minimum family incomes to meet needs for food, clothing, housing etc; and a modicum of social security for groups unable to secure livelihood by their own efforts such as destitute elderly, women-headed households and handicapped persons.

Second, the plan must set out for different regions and countries policies and programmes for attaining targets for overcoming poverty. Evidently, the public sector will need to play a central role in providing and coordinating essential services. The reaching of minimum income targets will call for a diverse range of programmes to boost production through investment in physical infrastructure and human skills, promotion of small and medium enterprises, technological innovation, land reform, microfinance and employment creation schemes in construction, land improvement and environmental preservation. A mix of public and voluntary social security programmes would need to be meshed together to ensure that no person falls below the poverty threshold.

The third element in the anti-poverty plan relates to allocation of responsibility for implementing its policies and programmes. For the plan to succeed, it must rely on distinctive contributions by many parties. The efforts of national authorities must be complemented by resources, knowledge and technical skills of business, the international development community and voluntary agencies. The professional associations, the media and world celebrities can play a crucial role in mobilizing resources and generating pressures for policy reforms.

Finally, the plan must provide for regular monitoring of progress in achieving targets for poverty elimination. There must be mechanisms to detect errors in policy and program implementation and ensure timely remedial measures.

As a first step, the Millennium Assembly of the United Nations could adopt the idea of a plan to eliminate world poverty. A Committee of Heads of Government might be set up to guide and oversee the plan through all its phases. Its membership might include leaders from United States, Japan, France (representing the European Union), Brazil, Egypt, Nigeria, India, Indonesia and Russia. Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton could be invited to participate in its work and lend their moral and political support. The Committee should ask the Secretary General of the United Nations to set up a secretariat consisting of outstanding specialists and managers drawn from within and outside the international agencies. It should be charged with the responsibility to come up with an operational plan within a year. In carrying out its work, the secretariat should draw upon the extensive available material and secure support from all interested actors and institutions.

There is justifiable skepticism of such ambitious plans. But all major achievements - technological breakthroughs such as landing individuals on the moon, social triumphs such as eradicating small pox, and dazzling business innovations such as those pioneered by Microsoft - require bold visions, single-minded pursuit of goals, and imaginative strategies and operational programmes. The world has the resources, technology and knowledge to remove destitution from the face of the earth. What is needed is strong commitment and support from the world leadership. There could not be a more glorious start to the 21st century than an end to world poverty.

The author, an Advisor at the International Institute of Labour Studies, is former Director of the World Employment Program Research, ILO and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development.

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