The New Development Agenda: Eradicating poverty by 2030?

PUBLIC EVENT: Round table with Thomas Pogge (ASAP, Yale Univ.), David Hume (BWPI, Univ. of Manchester) and Alberto Cimadamore (CROP).

The fastest reduction in poverty in human history was recently reported: half a billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty since the turn of the millennium. This optimistic assessment was shared by world leaders in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 when they agreed to continue the job set out by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The international community has been working on a post-2015 development agenda with the aspiration to eradicate extreme poverty from the face of the earth by 2030. The UN’s High Level Panel Report indicates that new goals and targets should be grounded in respect for universal human rights, underlining the need for sustainable development for all. Despite the progress in the discourse and level of ambition, it can be argued that current aspirations do not go far enough in addressing the structural causes of poverty and the world’s increasing inequalities.

This round table will critically assess the claimed dramatic reduction in poverty. Speakers will analyse the data and arguments provided by international organisations and world leaders supporting the reported progress towards achieving the MDGs in general, and the goals related to the reduction of extreme poverty and hunger in particular. They will also discuss possible causes of progress and setbacks in the global poverty reduction efforts. What are the lessons learned from the MDGs process that can contribute to poverty eradication by 2030?

A 45-minutes interactive Q&A session with the audience will be a central part of the programme.

The round table will be moderated by Juliana Martinez-Franzoni, University of Costa Rica.