What may be the biggest gathering of world leaders in history happens this weekend at the United Nations. Even the Pope is coming. Not to mention U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Bono.
As always, global crises such as migration, the Islamic State group and Ebola will be front and center. But this year will be different. Leaders will agree to a new platform of global goals on development through 2030, and one uniting goal will rise above all others: ending extreme poverty. Together, we can do it.
Far from a dream uttered at a beauty pageant, this goal is the basis of a serious global summit. For much of history, the majority of humanity has lived in extreme poverty — the lack of sufficient resources for a family to survive and thrive at the most basic level of human dignity. These resources include enough clean water and nutritious food, an education, income generating work, and participation in a free and open society.
About the author
Alex Thier Thieristan
Alex Thier is a senior democracy fellow at Freedom House and a senior adviser at Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was a senior official in the Obama administration and executive director of the Overseas Development Institute in London.
