Review of the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty: 1997-2006

In December 1995, the General Assembly proclaimed the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006). In December 1996, the General Assembly declared the theme for the Decade as a whole to be "Eradicating poverty is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind."
This report by the UN Secretary General looks at the last ten years of worldwide efforts to reduce poverty. Although poverty has decreased in Asia, the UN observed little progress in Latin America and especially Africa. These regions suffer from wide income inequality preventing economic growth from translating into reduced poverty.