UN Sustainable Development Goal: Poverty Eradication联合国可持续发展目标之消除贫困

石劲宇

T     he 2030 Agenda1 acknowledges that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions， including extreme poverty， is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.

The first Sustainable Development Goal aims to “End poverty in all its forms everywhere”. Its seven associated targets aim， among others， to eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere， reduce at least by half the proportion of men， women and children of all ages living in poverty， and implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all， including floors2， and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.

As recalled by the foreword of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals Report3， at the Millennium Summit in September 2000， 189 countries unanimously adopted the Millennium Declaration， pledging to “spare no effort to free our fellow men， women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty”. This commitment was translated into an inspiring framework of eight goals and， then， into wide-ranging practical steps that have enabled people across the world to improve their lives and their future prospects. The MDGs helped to lift more than one billion people out of extreme poverty， to make inroads against hunger， to enable more girls to attend school than ever before and to protect our planet.

Nevertheless， in spite of all the remarkable gains， inequalities have persisted and progress has been uneven. Therefore， the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its set of Sustainable Development Goals have been committed， as stated in the Declaration of the Agenda， “to build upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and seek to address their unfinished business”.

The theme of the 2017 High-Level Political Forum4 was “Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world”， and it included SDG 1 as one of the focus SDGs.

From Agenda 215 to Future We Want

In “The Future We Want”， the outcome document of Rio+206， Member States emphasized the need to accord the highest priority to poverty eradication within the United Nations development agenda， addressing the root causes and challenges of poverty through integrated， coordinated and coherent strategies at all level.

In the context of the multi-year programme of work adopted by the Commission on Sustainable Development （CSD） after the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development （WSSD）， poverty eradication appears as an “overriding issue” on the agenda of the CSD each year.

Poverty eradication is addressed in Chapter II of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation （2002）7， which stressed that eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development， particularly for developing countries.

Priority actions on poverty eradication include：

improving access to sustainable livelihoods， entrepreneurial opportunities and productive resources;

providing universal access to basic social services;

progressively developing social protection systems to support those who cannot support themselves;

empowering people living in poverty and their organizations;

addressing the disproportionate impact of poverty on women;

working with interested donors and recipients to allocate increased shares of ODA8 to poverty eradication; and

intensifying international cooperation for poverty eradication.

The General Assembly， in its 1997 Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 （paragraph 27） decided that poverty eradication should be an overriding theme of sustainable development for the coming years. It is one of the fundamental goals of the international community and of the entire United Nations system.

“Combating poverty” is the topic of Chapter 3 of Agenda 21. It is also in commitment 2 of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development9.

Agenda 21 emphasized that poverty is a complex multidimensional problem with origins in both the national and international domains. No uniform solution can be found for global application. Rather， country-specific programmes to tackle poverty and international efforts supporting national efforts， as well as the parallel process of creating a supportive international environment， are crucial for a solution to this problem.

The years following the 1992 Rio Conference have witnessed an increase in the number of people living in absolute poverty， particularly in developing countries. The enormity and complexity of the poverty issue could endanger the social fabric， undermine economic development and the environment， and threaten political stability in many countries.

聯合国《2030年可持续发展议程》指出，消除一切形式和表现的贫困，包括消除极端贫困，是世界最大的挑战，也是实现可持续发展必不可少的要求。

可持续发展目标1是“在全世界消除一切形式的贫困”，共含7个子目标，其中包括：在全球所有人口中消除极端贫困;各年龄段贫困男女和儿童至少减半;执行适合本国国情的全民社会保障制度和措施，包括最低标准，到2030年，实现穷人和弱势群体的大范围参保。

《千年发展目标：2015年报告》前言中回顾道，在2000年9月的千年首脑会议上，189个国家一致通过《千年宣言》，承诺要“不遗余力地帮助男女老少同胞，摆脱凄苦堪怜和毫无尊严的极端贫困状况”。这一承诺转化为一个鼓舞人心的计划，内含8个目标，继而又落实为各个领域的实际行动，使全世界的人们改善了生活，增强了对未来的信心。“千年发展目标”帮助10多亿人摆脱了极端贫困，减少了饥饿，使比以往更多的女孩可以上学，并保护了我们的地球。

尽管取得了这些令人瞩目的成就，不平等依旧存在，进展也不均衡。因此，《2030年可持续发展议程》及其可持续发展目标致力于“巩固实施千年发展目标成果的基础上，争取完成它们尚未完成的事业”。

2017联合国可持续发展高级别政治论坛的主题是“在变革世界中消除贫困、促进繁荣”，将可持续发展目标1列为一项重点可持续发展目标。

从《21世纪议程》到《我们希望的未来》

在“里约+20”峰会成果文件《我们希望的未来》中，成员国强调需要将消除贫困列为联合国发展议程的最优先事项，通过各级的统筹、协调和连贯一致的战略处理贫穷的根源和挑战。

2002年可持续发展问题世界首脑会议之后，联合国可持续发展委员会通过了其多年期工作方案，將消除贫困列为每一年工作议程的重中之重。

2002年《约翰内斯堡执行计划》第二章谈到消除贫困的问题，强调今日世界面临的最严重全球性挑战是消除贫困，这是可持续发展必不可少的条件，对发展中国家来说尤其如此。

消除贫困的优先行动包括：

改善获得可持续的生计、创业机遇和生产资源的渠道;

提供全民基本社会服务;

逐步建立社会保障体系，帮扶无力自谋生计的群体;

增强贫困人口及其组织的权能;

应对贫困对妇女群体更为严重的影响;

与有意向的捐助者和受援者合作，将更大比重的官方发展援助用于消除贫困;

加强消除贫困方面的国际合作。

联合国大会1997年通过的《进一步执行〈21世纪议程〉方案》第27段指出，消除贫困是今后可持续发展的首要主题，也是国际社会和整个联合国系统的基本目标之一。

“消除贫困”是《21世纪议程》第3章的主题，也反映在《哥本哈根社会发展问题宣言》的承诺2中。

《21世纪议程》强调，贫困是一个复杂的多方面问题，有其国家和国际根源。没有全球适用的划一的解决办法。然而，根据各国具体情况制定的解决贫困的方案，支持各国扶贫工作的国际措施，以及并行的支助性国际环境的创立，对解决这个问题极为重要。

1992年里约地球峰会召开后的数年中，世界绝对贫困人口数量出现增长，在发展中国家尤为明显。贫困问题严重且复杂，可能危及社会结构，破坏经济发展和生态环境，威胁多国的政治稳定。

（译者单位：上海外国语大学）