How close are we to eradicating global poverty?

Given the world's wealth, the eradication of poverty seems attainable. Unfortunately there is one major impediment to this ever happening. Human nature. It seems inherent that the more wealth humans have, the less likely they will want to give up even a portion of it.

Poverty itself is difficult to define. Someone living in a sink estate in England may justifiably regard themselves as living in poverty, but not when compared to a Sudanese child who spends several hours each day collecting drinking water. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization defines poverty in terms of diet. In their annual report last year they estimated, of the total world population of 7.3 billion, around 795 million were chronically undernourished, equating to one in nine. The UN have also adopted an ambitious target of ending extreme poverty by the year 2030. Progress has been made – poverty among the developing world has been halved since 1981. But there are still immense hurdles in the way of this 13-year plan. About a billion of the world’s extremely poor live in China. And in Sub-Saharan Africa, beset by famine and endless wars, the figures for those in poverty have actually increased since 1981.

Western nations must continue to commit to bolstering more troubled economies through international aid. Although far-right politics balks at this transfer of money, countries like the UK and France have a moral obligation to support the former colonies they once so enthusiastically stripped of assets. 2030 is a bold target. Global poverty may well be dented. It seems ridiculously optimistic to think of it being eradicated.