Joint Statement — Global Coalition to End Child Poverty

A Call to Action to expand social protection and care systems and promote decent work to address child poverty

A staggering 333 million children live in extreme poverty, struggling to survive on less than $2.15 per day, and more than 800 million children subsist below a poverty line of $3.65 per day. Beyond income metrics of poverty[1], half of the 1.1. billion people experiencing multidimensional poverty (MPI) are children even if their share of the global population is only around 30 percent[2]. Approximately one billion children are deprived of their basic rights and needs in areas such as health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and housing[3].

Two critical policy levers for tackling, reducing and ending child poverty are i) the expansion of inclusive social protection, including child benefits and paid parental leave, and ii) enabling access to decent work for adults who bear responsibility to provide for children in their household. It is therefore timely that the theme of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty for 2023 touches upon these key points, namely: ‘Decent Work and Social Protection – Putting Dignity in Practice’.

On the International Day for Eradication of Poverty, and on every day, the Global Coalition to End Child Poverty calls on Governments, businesses and the International Community to:

Expand access to inclusive social protection, including child benefits.
Promote inclusive childcare and parental support systems, including paid parental leave and accessible and quality childcare for children and families in poverty.
Promote a decent work agenda, including ensuring every worker has access to social protection and adequate living wages, and young people receive relevant education and training opportunities.