One in every six children is forced to survive on less than $2.15 a day, according to a new report from the UN Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank released on Wednesday.
\nThe findings show that 333 million children worldwide are living in extreme poverty \u2013 a decrease of almost 50 million over the course of the past decade.
\nHowever, the report\u2019s authors say that millions more should have been lifted out of extreme poverty had it not been for three years of COVID-19-related disruptions.
\nUNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that the effects of the pandemic as well as conflict, climate change and economic shocks, have \u201cstalled progress\u201d on ending child poverty.
\nShe called for redoubled efforts to ensure that all children have access to essential services, including education, nutrition, health care and social protection, while addressing the root causes of extreme poverty.
\n\u201cWe cannot fail these children now,\u201d she said.
\nThe report shows that globally, children comprise more than 50 per cent of the extreme poor, despite making up only a third of the world\u2019s population.
\nNearly 90 per cent of children caught in extreme poverty reside in either sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia. Sub-Saharan Africa has both the highest rate, at 40 per cent in 2022, and the largest share of the world\u2019s extreme poor children, over 71 per cent \u2013 a significant jump from just under 55 per cent 10 years ago.
\nAuthors say that rapid population growth and \u201climited\u201d social protection measures have contributed to this steep increase. Meanwhile, all other regions in the world except the Middle East and North Africa have seen a \u201csteady decline\u201d in extreme poverty rates.
\nChildren living in rural settings and those living in households where the head has little or no education are \u201csignificantly more affected\u201d by extreme poverty, the report says.
\nAn estimated one in three children in countries affected by conflict live in extremely poor households, compared to one in 10 in \u201cnon-fragile states\u201d.
\nThe report warns that, at current rates of reduction, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) of ending extreme child poverty by 2030, or SDG 1, will not be met.
\nAt the Human Rights Council earlier this week, UN rights chief Volker Turk called the world\u2019s insufficient progress towards this goal a \u201cterrible collective human rights failure\u201d.
\nThe issue will be high on the agenda of the High-level Week of the UN General Assembly (18 \u2013 22 September), when global leaders will discuss the road towards the SDGs at the halfway point.
\nKicking off the high-level week, an SDG Summit will aim to accelerate action for the 17 Goals and is expected to adopt a political declaration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One in every six children is forced to survive on less than $2.15 a day, according to a new report from the UN Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank released on Wednesday. The findings show that 333 million children worldwide are living in extreme poverty \u2013 a decrease of almost 50 million over the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-355856","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n