Two-thirds of the poor in affected areas by 2030

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned Thursday that if current trends continue, two-thirds of the world's poor will live in countries affected by conflict or in fragile situations by 2030.

In a UN Security Council debate on “Poverty, Underdevelopment and Conflict”, Guterres stressed that the further a country is from sustainable and inclusive development, the closer it is to instability and conflict.

“When people are denied opportunities, when human rights are violated and impunity persists, when crime and corruption thrive, when climate chaos displaces and destabilizes, when terrorism finds fertile ground in weak institutions — peace can quickly become a distant dream,” he noted.

“It is no coincidence that nine of the ten countries with the lowest Human Development Indicators are currently in a state of conflict,” the UN leader added.

Currently, 40% of the 700 million people living in extreme poverty are in fragile or conflict-affected environments, according to the United Nations, with Guterres warning that the situation is getting worse.

Conflicts are proliferating and lasting longer, displacing more than 120 million people from their homes — an unprecedented number of individuals whose lives and futures are disrupted, the Secretary-General said.

“Poverty breeds despair. Despair breeds unrest. And unrest destroys the fabric of societies — fueling distrust, fear and violence,” reflected António Guterres.

The former Portuguese prime minister also denounced that, while the global economy slows, trade tensions increase and aid budgets are cut, military spending around the world is soaring.

In advocating investment in development to avoid instability and conflict, Guterres reinforced that the world is facing a development emergency after decades of progress and that two-thirds of the Sustainable Development Goals targets have not yet been achieved.

“Peace is not built in conference rooms. Peace is built in classrooms, in clinics, in communities. Peace is built when people have hope, opportunity and a commitment to their future. Investing in development today means investing in a more peaceful tomorrow,” he said.