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.
