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Extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals

Inquiry

Report and Government response published

The International Development Committee, which scrutinises the development work of the UK government, held an inquiry into Extreme Poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals. This inquiry looked specifically at how the development work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) impacts on United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 1, Target 1.1. This goal calls for the eradication of extreme poverty by 2030, where ‘extreme poverty’ is defined as earning less than $1.90 per day.

The Report found that reprioritising UK aid spending to focus on ending extreme poverty is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do, the elimination of extreme poverty is vital to security and prosperity across the world.

The report called on the Foreign and Development Office to reaffirm its commitment to the ‘Leave No One Behind’ agenda, including achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030. The alleviation of poverty must be the primary priority for determining spending. While Government should spend half of the UK’s ODA budget in fragile states and regions, all UK aid must have a measurable effect on poverty.

Read the Report: Extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development GoalsRead the Government response: Extreme poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals