A/RES/74/237 GA

United Nations A/RES/74/237 General Assembly Distr.: General 17 January 2020 19-22511 (E) 220120 *1922511* Seventy-fourth session Agenda item 22 (d) Eradication of poverty and other development issues: eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 19 December 2019 [on the report of the Second Committee (A/74/384/Add.4)] 74/237. Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 73/244 of 20 December 2018, entitled “Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, Reaffirming its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, in which it adopted a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals and targets, its commitment to working tirelessly for the full implementation of the Agenda by 2030, its recognition that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, its commitment to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner, and to building upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and seeking to address their unfinished business, Reaffirming also its resolution 69/313 of 27 July 2015, on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, supports and complements it, helps to contextualize its means of implementation targets with concrete policies and actions, and reaffirms the strong political commitment to address the challenge of financing and creating an enabling environment at all levels for sustainable development in the spirit of global partnership and solidarity, A/RES/74/237 Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 19-22511 2/6 Reaffirming further the Paris Agreement 1 and its early entry into force, encouraging all its parties to fully implement the Agreement, and parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2 that have not yet done so to deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, where appropriate, as soon as possible, Reaffirming the New Urban Agenda, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), held in Quito, Ecuador, from 17 to 20 October 2016,3 Bearing in mind that the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations in 2020 and the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda present an opportunity to reaffirm collective commitment to multilateralism and to the United Nations, and reaffirming the urgent need to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, including the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the eradication of poverty, Recalling its declaration, in its resolution 47/196 of 22 December 1992, of 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Recalling also its resolution 72/233 of 20 December 2017, in which it considered that the theme of the Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018–2027) should be “Accelerating global actions for a world without poverty”, and all other resolutions related to the eradication of poverty, Reaffirming that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and is an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, particularly in Africa, in the least developed countries, in landlocked developing countries, in small island developing States and in some middle-income countries, noting with concern that, out of 734 million people living in extreme poverty, 38 million fewer will escape extreme poverty by 2030, because of the slowdown in the global economy, and underlining the importance of accelerating sustainable, inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development, including full, productive employment and decent work for all, with a view to reducing inequalities within and among countries, Commending the efforts and remarkable progress achieved by developing countries in eradicating rural poverty, while noting with concern that key gaps still remain, such as: a lack of adequate data; inadequate investment in agricultural and rural development; lower and inadequate human capital formation relevant for rural livelihoods; scarce non-farm income-generating opportunities; a lack of productive capacity and agricultural transformation; persistent gender inequality; a lack of social protection; insufficient basic infrastructure and services; a lack of or poor adaptive capacity and resilience to cope with the adverse effects of climate change and disasters; and a lack of effective rural institutions and of sufficient resources, Recognizing the leading role of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, together with other United Nations entities, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Development Programme, in the global efforts to reduce rural poverty, while addressing other interlinked challenges such as eliminating hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition and increasing the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises, Noting with appreciation the aspirations, embedded in Agenda 2063 of the African Union, to lift huge sections of the population out of poverty, improve incomes __________________ 1 Adopted under the UNFCCC in FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21. 2 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1771, No. 30822. 3 Resolution 71/256, annex. Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development A/RES/74/237 3/6 19-22511 and catalyse economic and social transformation, and recognizing the importance of the international community helping African countries to achieve such goals, especially in the rural areas of the African continent, Noting that, while considerable progress has been made over the past decade across all areas of development, the pace of progress observed in recent years is insufficient and uneven to fully meet the Sustainable Development Goals and targets by 2030, especially in the area of rural poverty eradication, Recognizing that poverty is a serious impediment to the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, including those living in rural areas, and that the feminization of poverty persists, emphasizing that the eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, acknowledging the mutually reinforcing links between the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and the eradication of poverty, and stressing the importance of support for countries in their efforts to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions, Emphasizing that the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development depends crucially on the transformation of rural areas, where most of the poor and hungry live, and that in order to eradicate rural poverty, investment should be channelled towards sectors that have a bigger impact, such as education and health, agriculture and infrastructure, while noting an annual financing gap for reaching universal pre-primary, primary and secondary education of good quality in low-income and lower middle-income countries of $39 billion over the period 2015–2030, and that at least $80 billion in annual investment will be needed to meet the demand for food that is projected to increase by 70 per cent by 2050, and that the investments that are needed for climate change mitigation and adaptation also remain underfunded, Welcoming the proclamation of 2019–2028 as the United Nations Decade of Family Farming, to raise the profile of the role of family farming 4 in contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and reaffirming the importance of the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016–2025) in the promotion of activities towards the eradication of rural poverty, Recognizing the interlinkages and integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals, and reiterating that the eradication of rural poverty and hunger is crucial for the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and that rural development should be pursued through an integrated approach which encompasses economic, social and environmental dimensions, takes into account a gender perspective and consists of mutually reinforcing policies and programmes, and which should be balanced, targeted, situation-specific and locally owned, include local synergies and initiatives and be responsive to the needs of rural populations, Recalling that nearly 80 per cent of the extreme poor live in rural areas and work in agriculture, that the extreme poverty rate in rural areas is three times higher than in urban areas, and that devoting resources to the development of rural areas and sustainable agriculture and supporting smallholder farmers, especially women farmers, is key to ending poverty in all its forms and dimensions, by, inter alia, improving the welfare of farmers, Taking into consideration the increasing number of young people who decide to leave rural areas for more urbanized ones and the challenges this trend poses to the livelihood of rural families, __________________ 4 Resolution 72/239. A/RES/74/237 Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 19-22511 4/6 Expressing its concern that the extreme poor have limited access to productive resources, basic health, education and social protection services, basic infrastructure such as roads, water and electricity, and off-farm employment opportunities, and are susceptible to the impacts of natural disasters, especially weather-related hazards, including the El Niño phenomenon, and the adverse effects of climate change, and that rural women and girls fare far worse on most development indicators, Emphasizing the importance of enhancing global support for national work on rural development policies and strategies, including on commodity production as well as increased public and private investments to upgrade productive capacity, and that tackling rural poverty requires integrated, cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder and context-specific interventions, with a strong emphasis on sustainable food and agricultural systems for food security, nutrition, economic growth, revitalization and development in rural areas, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General5 and the recommendations contained therein; 2. Reaffirms that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, for all people everywhere, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, as well as an overarching objective of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 6 of which the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development7 is an integral part, supporting and complementing it; 3. Expresses its deep concern that the progress in reducing poverty remains uneven, with 1.46 billion people still living in multidimensional poverty, and that this number continues to be significant and unacceptably high, whereas the levels of inequality in income, wealth and opportunities remain high or are increasing in a number of countries, and the non-income dimensions of poverty and deprivation, such as access to quality education or basic health services, and relative poverty remain major concerns, and stresses the importance of national and global efforts to create conditions for sustainable development, inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and decent work for all in society, taking into account different levels of national development capacities; 4. Recognizes the importance of promoting socioeconomic development in rural areas as an effective strategy and important means at the global level for the eradication of poverty, including extreme poverty, and therefore underlines the importance of shaping a rural poverty eradication pattern with the concerted efforts of the whole of society to promote socioeconomic development in rural areas; 5. Emphasizes that economic growth continues to leave rural dwellers behind, that in 2015, 79 per cent of the people living in extreme poverty lived in rural areas and 41 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa lived on less than $1.90 per day, and recommends that countries promote dedicated and coordinated social, economic, agricultural and rural development in their national policies, including by adopting rural-focused poverty eradication strategies in alignment with the 2030 Agenda, social policies aimed at improving human capital in rural areas and ensuring access to adequate social protection coverage, agricultural policies aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, and rural development policies aimed at improving access to rural infrastructure and basic services of high quality and at boosting non-farm employment opportunities; __________________ 5 A/74/257. 6 Resolution 70/1. 7 Resolution 69/313, annex. Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development A/RES/74/237 5/6 19-22511 6. Recognizes the critical role and contribution of rural women, including smallholders and women farmers, and indigenous women and women in local communities, and their traditional knowledge in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty; 7. Stresses the importance of taking targeted measures to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, by formulating rural development strategies with clear poverty eradication goals, strengthening national statistical capacity and monitoring systems and implementing nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all; 8. Recognizes the importance of employment for pro-poor growth in rural areas, and encourages the United Nations system and development partners to assist countries, upon their request, in mainstreaming employment into investment policy and poverty reduction strategies, including those focused on rural area development, and fostering rapid agricultural productivity growth, especially in developing countries, by increasing investment in agricultural and related rural off-farm activities; 9. Also recognizes the need to design, implement and pursue gender- responsive economic and social policies aimed at, inter alia, eradicating poverty, including in rural areas, and combating the feminization of poverty, ensuring the full and equal participation of rural women in the development, implementation and follow-up of development policies and programmes and poverty eradication strategies, supporting increased rural employment and decent work, and promoting the participation of women at all levels and sectors of the rural economy and in diverse on-farm and off-farm economic activities, including sustainable agricultural and fisheries production; 10. Encourages Member States, international organizations, the private sector and other partners to develop programmes to foster the creation of decent work in rural areas and increase the investment in agricultural and related off-farm activities, especially for young people; 11. Emphasizes that, globally, 2 billion people, primarily in rural areas in developing countries, do not have access to formal financial services, and encourages further efforts of the international community to offer affordable ways to access finance for the financially excluded in rural areas; 12. Also emphasizes the need to increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, especially in roads, water, sanitation and electricity; 13. Expresses its commitment to raising public awareness to promote the eradication of poverty and extreme poverty in all countries, to mobilizing the enthusiasm and creativity of all stakeholders, especially the rural residents living in extreme poverty, to fight against poverty, to promoting their active participation in the design and implementation of programmes and policies which affect them, and to providing quality education for the rural poor, with the aim of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 14. Reiterates the need for enhanced and expanded access by developing countries to appropriate technologies that are pro-poor and raise productivity, and underlines the need for measures to increase investment in agriculture, including modern technologies, as well as in natural resources management and capacity- building of developing countries; 15. Stresses that the achievement of sustainable development and the eradication of poverty also hinge on the ability and readiness of countries to effectively mobilize domestic resources, attract foreign direct investment, fulfil A/RES/74/237 Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 19-22511 6/6 official development assistance commitments and use official development assistance effectively, and facilitate the transfer of technology to developing countries, on mutually agreed terms, and further stresses that the resolution of unsustainable debt situations is critical for heavily indebted poor countries, while remittances have become a significant source of income and finance for receiving economies and their contribution to the achievement of sustainable development; 16. Recognizes the importance of addressing the diverse needs of and challenges faced by countries in special situations, in particular African countries, the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, as well as the specific challenges facing many middle-income countries, and therefore requests the United Nations development system, the international financial institutions, regional organizations and other stakeholders to ensure that these diverse and specific development needs are appropriately considered and addressed, in a tailored fashion, in their relevant strategies and policies, with a view to promoting a coherent and comprehensive approach towards individual countries; 17. Realizes that bridging the digital divide will require strong commitment by all relevant stakeholders at the national and international levels, reiterates the importance of investing in infrastructure for greater access to affordable technological devices and services for rural populations, which includes leveraging technology- enabled financial services and financial technologies to promote financial inclusion, and encourages efforts by all relevant stakeholders, especially United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, in the spirit of win-win cooperation, to assist developing countries in overcoming the digital divide and promoting the use of information and communication technologies to foster economic and social development, particularly in rural areas, with the aim of building a shared future for humankind; 18. Recognizes the devastating impact of diseases on societies, and calls for measures by relevant United Nations bodies, in accordance with their respective mandates, and other stakeholders to make good use of their experience and advantages to further help developing countries with the aim of improving rural development planning, including poverty eradication and multisectoral development activities covering economic and social aspects, including the gender perspective; 19. Reiterates the urgent need to accelerate the pace of rural poverty eradication, and requests the Secretary-General, in close collaboration with the secretariat of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as well as other relevant international organizations, to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth session a report on the status of the implementation of and follow-up to the present resolution in order to identify the progress achieved, gaps and challenges faced in rural poverty eradication, especially in developing countries, as well as the means of implementation to address this issue, and to list rural poverty eradication as a priority for an annual moment to highlight inspiring action on the Goals, in the context of the general debate of the General Assembly; 20. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-fifth session, under the item entitled “Eradication of poverty and other development issues”, the sub-item entitled “Eradicating rural poverty to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. 52nd plenary meeting 19 December 2019

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