SDG #1 - ‘Not a task of charity it’s an act of justice’
SDG #1 - ‘Not a task of charity it’s an act of justice’
The community you operate in needs you – and you them.
January, marking the beginning of a New Year, inevitably brings with it a sense of starting fresh, and the hope that this will be ‘The Year’. And 2022 should be the year we ramp efforts up to end poverty. While between 1990 and 2015, the number of people living in poverty has dropped from 36% to 10% globally (?), the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a major setback, risking the progress we made. 2020 was the first year in two decades in which poverty levels increased, and an additional 71 million people were pushed back under the poverty line. With many people having no social protection, such numbers mean that over 10% of the world lives on less than $1.25 a day, which does not allow them to meet the basic needs of shelter, education, or healthcare.
Poverty rates are projected to remain as high as 7% in 2030, falling short of the zero poverty target of #Goal1. It is everyone’s responsibility to upscale our efforts to help those left behind, both as private individuals, and as business entities.
January’s Sustainable Development Goal is #1 - No Poverty
In last October we wrote about how to combat poverty together with SDG #2 ZeroHunger, but this month ‘No Poverty’ gets the spotlight.
As entangled as SDGs are, No Poverty is the cornerstone of many other Global Goals, as to achieve anything in unity, we must first empower and enable everyone to act. Those suffering to satisfy their basic needs will seldom find themselves the privilege to think about anything but the immediate future. ‘Eradicating poverty is not a task of charity, it's an act of justice’ – writes the UN. So, beyond food-drives, and donating old clothes, and office furniture, what is there to do about poverty as a business?
The private sector arguably has a large role to play in poverty reduction, no matter how big or small an actor your enterprise might be. The growth, and profit you generate can be inclusive, and productive in poverty reduction by promoting opportunities for the poor. Private-sector job creation has been an important driver in the fight against poverty. Starting with our own doorstep, within the UK 14.4 million are on relatively low income (after housing costs deducted). By paying your employees well, providing them with at least the Real Living Wage, you ensure that you are not contributing to working poverty. While the National Living Wage is a centrally determined number from the average earnings, the Real Living Wage is calculated based on the cost of living, ensuring a dignified life for those earning it.
As the agile and innovative enterprises most SMEs are, you are in a great position to achieve environmental sustainability and more inclusive growth. So, when you grow, grow with a pro-poor attitude in mind. If you decide to outsource internationally, after thinking about environmental impacts of international supply chains, also think about your target area. Strive to invest in communities, and supply developing areas with business and resources. Aim to build partnerships and help innovate to make your supplier more efficient and help them to grow.
1.B of the targets of #Goal1 is to create pro-poor and gender-sensitive policies. Women and children are more likely to be affected by poverty than men. Inclusivity, and due attention to intersectional disadvantages of women, and especially women of ethnic backgrounds, or with disabilities are important. Be an advocate of change, of inclusivity, and of fair policy! Start from within, and make sure you operate under a fair, equal opportunities recruitment policy, and consider your company makeup. Appoint a diversity officer who will make sure everyone is included, and no one is left out of important community decisions. By consciously fighting discrimination, you contribute to the employment of those who might be turned away elsewhere.
Support a #Goal 1 Charity. While we have talked about this before, you can take supporting a charity to the next level as a business. Beyond donating toys around Christmas or using a fragment of your bonus to support a charity, you can directly continue via organising volunteering days within your organisation. By giving each of your employees one paid day a year on which they can go out and support a charity of their choice, you are contributing to the reduction of poverty directly. Alternatively, instead (or as well as!) a laser tag team building activity, you can all go out and collectively help a #Goal1 charity advocate to educate, uplift, or feed those in the circle of poverty.
Because poverty is manifested in so many different areas in life, there are countless ways where a business can start to combat it. Be it education – offering training and apprenticeships to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, health – combatting period poverty by the enabling of the provision of free products in your local area, or social welfare – advocating to your local, and national government for pro-poor and inclusive policies, you can make a difference to the lives of many. 2022 is shaping up to be a year of recovery – recovery from the pandemic and with it, pandemic-induced deprivation, poverty, and isolation. As much as you need communities to engage with your services, they need you to act for them.
We publish our SDG blog monthly, focusing on the UN’s chosen goal for that month. Find out more about #13 Climate Change, #7 Clean Energy or #16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. For the full list see our guide to the UN Sustainable Goals.