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WB's Jim Kim on 2015 Poverty Reduction Trendline

With the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) launch driving the development agenda for the next 15 years as the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) did from 2000-2015, much attention will be paid to the umbrella goal of eradicating extreme poverty worldwide. New Yorker magazine's rallying behind accomplishments in reducing poverty in 2015 provided a platform for World Bank President Jim Kim to applaud the drop in extreme poverty below 10%. He is quick however to emphasize still an estimated 700 million living below the poverty line on $1.90 a day.

GlobalPartnersUnited CEO, Evelyn Cherow, who follows Jim Kim (LinkedIn), replied:

'This trendline is encouraging; access to mobile phones and the internet have been vital drivers for mitigating poverty in LMICs. Now if funding streams are directed to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and address these 1 billion persons-- 'the poorest of the poor', 80% in developing countries--lacking access to health, education, habilitation, prosthetic devices, and employment, this trend could be expedited. Equitable access to affordable and reliable ICT should be a major priority for health and education systems strengthening and global connectedness for knowledge sharing and job creation.'

During SDGs development, the UN held a number of consultations with the civil society leaders of disabled peoples organizations alliances, NGOs, as well as diplomats and policymakers to ensure that SDG targets and indicators explicitly specify societal inclusion across sectors for persons with disabilities. Some progress was made in specific designations, however, despite the human rights treaty being ratified by 160 countries who have developed national disability plans, this goal was met in seven areas. More on this topic is found on the UN Enable website (https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/) and the social and economic inclusion policy advocacy toolkit of the International Disability Alliance, International Disability and Development Consortium, and UN (http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/sites/disalliance.e-presentaciones.net/files/public/files/Disability%20Indicators%20Advocacy%20Toolkit.pdf).