Global Agenda Council on Poverty & Economic Development 2011

Sixty years of combating poverty have produced very mixed results. A quarter of humanity still lives on less than US$ 1.25 a day. In sub-Saharan Africa, half the population (the same share as in 1981) lives on that amount. Recognizing that economic growth represents the best answer to poverty, developing countries and the development community are increasingly focusing on creating the conditions for growth. Yet growth at all costs is not desirable. Successful strategies must pursue “quality growth”, strong, sustained, shared and clean growth that narrows structural inequalities, protects the environment and sustains the growth process itself, while reducing extreme poverty. This quality imperative makes the challenge even more formidable, but if successfully addressed the benefits promise to be huge and durable.