Globalization
has improved the lives of people throughout the world, but it has also widened
the gap between rich and poor. Half the world lives on less than $2 a day and
30,000 children die each day because of poverty. Even in America, 36 million people
are poor. Poverty affects families, communities and nations. When people are not
able to get the food and shelter they need, conflicts arise. Working to end poverty
will make the world safer.
At
the United Nations Millennium Summit in the year 2000, the leaders of the world
pledged to help end poverty as the first of 8 Millennium Development Goals. The
rest of these goals address many avenues to eliminate poverty such as ensuring
education for children, improving health and empowering women. Many campaigns
are working with the UN's Millennium Campaign to pressure governments to live
up to their promises, such as Britain's Make Poverty History Campaign and the
ONE Campaign in America. 2005's global Live 8 concert, organized by Bob Geldof
and U2's Bono, helped to bring worldwide attention to the end poverty movement,
and the White Band Campaign makes it easy for everyone to show their support.
End Poverty
Day, officially the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty,
is an opportunity to mobilize to remind governments about their pledge to achieve
the Millennium Development Goals, and to inspire individuals to see that together
we can end poverty.
