On 17 October 2014, the world will come together to join the fight to end poverty – to “Leave no one behind: to think, decide, and act together against extreme poverty”. Local and Regional Governments will also add their voices to the campaign on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, highlighting the key role that cities need to play in bridging inequalities.
The increase in inequalities within and between countries and regions is seen as the Achilles heel of the MDGs, and may become worse if rapid urbanization is not properly addressed.
Today, more than 70% of the world’s poorest people live in middle-income countries, most of them in urban areas. Furthermore, with 5% of the world’s population using 23% of the global energy supply, roughly 40% of the world’s population lacking access to adequate sanitation, and another 1.2 billion people having no sanitation facilities at all, universal service provision is increasingly seen as the key to decent livelihoods.
The achievement of many of the global goals depends on local governments and the support they receive from other levels of government and international agencies, as well as their capacity to build strong partnerships with civil society and the private sector. People living in poverty should be the primary partners of local governments in the fight against poverty.
UCLG is building strong partnerships with Slum Dwellers International and the Huairou Commission, among others, and is committed to developing strong communities that can define priorities and work hand in hand with local governments.
Together we must, we can and we will leave no one behind!
Local and Regional Governments believe that creating strong local communities supported by accountable and resourced institutions is the only way to fight poverty in a sustainable manner.
As a member of the High-level Panel, voicing the concerns of Local and Regional Governments, Kadir Topbaş, President of UCLG and Mayor of Istanbul, has repeatedly stated that “the power of cities needs to be put to use in fighting poverty!” He recalled the role of cities in the provision of basic services, infrastructure and local development strategies that are central to the reduction of poverty, inequality and inclusion.
UCLG would like to take this opportunity to support the recent letter of the High‑level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The letter highlights the need to put the call to “Leave no one behind” at the top of global policy priorities if the goal of ending extreme poverty is to be achieved. It further underlines the transformative potential of urbanization and the need to work towards more accountable institutions.
On this special day, we would also like to recall the commitment of the Global Taskforce to contribute to the definition, implementation and monitoring of the global Post-2015 Agenda and local Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets, as well as to shape societies from the bottom up, and to make them resilient and ready to tackle the challenges of our time.
Source: http://www.uclg.org/