A Practical Poverty Eradication Strategy for a Perceptive Post-War Sudan

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was established in 1946 and aims to contribute, through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information, to the building of peace and the eradication of poverty, and to advancing sustainable development and inter-cultural dialogue. Assistant Directors-General are responsible for education; natural sciences; social and human sciences; culture; communication and information; external relations and cooperation; and administration. Commissions are expected to represent all principal national authorities and nongovernmental bodies working in the fields of education, sciences, culture and communication, and to promote UNESCO's values, objectives and activities. UNESCO's medium-term strategy for 2014-21 the organization was to continue to provide through its science programmes policy advice on science, technology and innovation (STI), as well as to strengthen member states' STI capacities, and to enhance international scientific co-operation for the advancement of inclusive sustainable development.

Purpose Globally, poverty has been a persistent problem despite decades of unprecedented growth. The purpose of this paper is to deliberate on a sustainable livelihoods and poverty eradication approach in an African context. Design/methodology/approach The paper aims to bridge the gaps in poverty eradication strategies in East Africa by examining recent literature on livelihoods approaches and poverty eradication approaches. Findings Safari tourism is one way of connecting poor communities in Kenya to the tourism industry. The development of community conservancies in Kenya presents yet more opportunities for communities to be integrated with the sector. The Africanization of the tourism sector in Kenya is a priority, as communities embrace tourism and poverty eradication measures. Practical implications There is a need for the Safari tourism sector to integrate the local community’s indigenous knowledge systems, community social capital and the community’s natural capital with tourism product development and diversification. Originality/value The paper draws on applied research and technical analysis of the unique opportunities for enhancing sustainable poverty eradication through the tourism sector in East Africa and, more particularly, a Kenyan context.

Postwar recovery is an elusive term. Often it is identified with words like reconstruction or nation and peace building and may be related to historical events such as the American Civil War or the Marshall Plan. Perhaps, however, the term is elusive because its distinct parts offer it a host of meanings. Post is a prefix that means after or later, war is the exertion of violence or hostility, and recovery is a restoration or return. As such, postwar recovery might be read as “after exerting violence, return later and restore hostility.” While this may be a word game, the semantics of postwar recovery, at face value, provoke some very difficult questions. At least, what is war, what is peace, and in the absence of both, what is to be recovered? In the past, recovery has encompassed almost every level of society, from institutions and government to economies, industry, infrastructure, and housing. At its best, recovery has embodied aspirations for future peace; at its worst, it has remained the harsh reality of sifting through ashes to find what is left. As part of the geographic study of war and peace, this introduction to the field of postwar recovery presents a brief history of its modern development by emphasizing the intersections of territorial sovereignty, international intervention, and subnational spaces. The chapter concludes by discussing its application in the field from the perspective of international practitioners. Part of the analysis reflects calls for further study on issues relevant to both geography and postwar recovery such as the impact of Non-Governmental Organizations on the “front lines” of geopolitics or issues of migration, a major propellant of which is violent conflict. Suggesting potentials for synthesis of postwar recovery and geography, the analysis alludes to different scales of recovery and through a case study of northern Afghanistan presents regional elements of postwar environments and their impact on field level recovery. The history of postwar recovery parallels that of political geography and has seen the task of civilians to restore, with limited assistance, what was lost in war become a multibillion-dollar industry infused with state responsibilities, international intervention, and structured civilian participation.

Poverty and unemployment remains a common feature of the Nigerian economy, with 62.6 per cent of the population living in poverty. Despite the enormous potentials and natural endowments in Nigeria, efforts aimed at eradicating poverty do not always yield expected dividends, thus escalating the rate of terrorist activities, banditry, kidnapping, prostitution, and other anti-social behaviours. Failure in poverty eradication efforts has often been attributed to corruption and the inability of beneficiaries to effectively utilize the resources. This is most often because the beneficiaries lack the capability and the skills required for the effective investment of the resources provided. This paper discussed the role of skills acquisition in promoting poverty eradication in Nigeria. The review covered the concepts of skills and skills acquisition; poverty and poverty eradication in Nigeria; roles of skills acquisition in poverty eradication; problems associated with skills acquisition in Nigeria, and approaches for enhancing skills acquisition in Nigeria. It was concluded that skills acquisition in relevant fields holds great promise in enhancing the productivity of poverty eradication efforts, and promoting sustainability in the efforts to eradicate poverty in Nigeria. Major recommendations made include private individuals, political office holders, NGOs, relevant government agencies and other corporate organizations should consider skills training programmes as integral components of their poverty alleviation efforts, while political office holders who have constituency portfolios and responsibilities should consider the establishment of skills training centres, renovation and equipping vocational and technical education institutions as key projects in their constituencies.

Malte Luebker recalls that employment and labour issues were entirely absent from the initial set of MDGs, and that only in 2005, somewhat hastily, a new target was added to address this oversight. He therefore welcomes that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development makes ample reference to employment and inequality. Goal 8 is devoted to 'Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all' and expands on two familiar themes, productivity and employment, while adding labour rights as a new element. The more nuanced treatment of labour arguably presents a notable advance in attaining a wider set of progressive policies concerned with addressing rising inequalities. While the SDGs are strong on some policies that have direct impact on the primary and secondary distribution of incomes, they lack an explicit endorsement of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. Hence, they fail to mention the mechanisms that give workers a voice and a meaningful stake in development.

The Government of Lao PDR has formulated a National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy (NGPES) that links sustainable economic growth, human development, reduced vulnerability and poverty alleviation; and addresses the key issues of public sector governance and public sector management. Implementation of the overall strategy focuses on rural Districts and relies on decentralized authority and beneficiary participation. Health services are a vital component of the NGPES, which reiterates the Government’s commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and identifies improved access, equity, quality and strengthening the health workforce as key goals. Ministry of Health (MOH) supported by the World Bank (WB) is implementing the Health Services Improvement Project-Additional Financing (HSIP-AF) with the objective to increase utilization and quality of health services, particularly for the poor women and children in rural areas. The consultations with ethnic groups during project implementation is necessary in order to assess whether the design of the HSIP-AF is succeeding in responding to the needs for MNCH services of ethnic groups in project provinces, understand the extent to which free delivery, and outreach activities impact health seeking behaviour of pregnant women and new-born children from ethnic groups and ascertain based on the result of such consultations, broad community support to project activities. The principle of SWOT Analysis was adapted in the consultation methodology. The Consultations however, indicated that ethnic communities were not fully informed of and understood project benefits available to them and requirements for participation. Communication is often particular problematic in areas with language barriers. A higher degree of inclusion in terms of community participation in the identification of problems and ways of solving them would demand bottomup implementation mechanisms and more flexibility to adapt project activities and supplied resources to local needs. The health service providers should preferably be female and members of local communities in order to overcome cultural and language barriers.

This study was conducted to find out informal sector and poverty eradication strategies in the new normal of covid-19 pandemic in North-West, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population consisted of all the registered Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Kano the largest city in the zone, Kaduna, Zaria, Sokoto, Katsina, Gusau, Garki and Funtua. These were metropolitan/commercial cities in each State in the North-West, Nigeria. It was hypothesized that there was no significant difference in the responses of the respondent groups on the level of effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the informal sector in North-East Nigeria; there was no significant difference in the responses of the respondent groups on the strategies adopted for the eradication of poverty among informal sector workers in North-West Nigeria in the new normal COVID-19 pandemic; there was no significant difference in the responses of the respondent groups on the factors that militate against the effective application of the strategies adopted for poverty eradication among the informal sector workers in North-West Nigeria in the new normal COVID-19 pandemic. Mean, t-test and correlation analysis were used to analyze to the data. All the hypotheses were retained. It was recommended among others that the State governments in the region should set aside emergency fund targeting informal sector in the zone. And that deferment of taxes or waiver of taxes, lower interest rate could also be embarked on by the appropriate policy makers in the zone to make informal sector remain afloat in the new normal COVID-19 pandemic. KEYWORDS: Poverty reduction, information sector, flexible loan, cost loan

Despite the various poverty eradication/alleviation programmes and strategies adopted by various governments in Nigeria, over 93 million Nigerians still live in poverty, with at least three million sliding into extreme poverty between November 2018 and February 2019 (Olayinka, 2019). This is a clear indication of the ineffectiveness of these policies and programmes, which is attributable to corruption, high level of inequality in income distribution, low literacy rate and poor skill set, political instability, and poor leadership. The major challenge every responsive and responsible government must contend with is to make life better and more meaningful to the citizenry irrespective of whether such government is a democratic one or a military dictator if the regime is to have relevance and continue to enjoy legitimacy in the eyes of the governed. Every successive government since independence has put up one strategy or the other aimed at eradicating the sufferings of the people and put smiles on the faces of the governed. This paper critically examined the various poverty eradication programmes, reforms and strategies, which had been undertaken by successive Nigerian governments and the reasons behind the success/failure of these programmes. The paper articulated and proffered useful strategies that if faithfully implemented would lead the nation out of the present dungeon of poverty and set the nation on the right map of sustainable economic development and not just on economic growth which it has persistently witnessed over the years.

The article examines the approaches to poverty of the UN development decades, with a focus on the current 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Using the “5 R” criteria of global social policy discourse, the article’s main point is that a coherent analysis of poverty is absent from the agenda. While the agenda does address redistribution, social rights, and resource consciousness, and makes important contributions to social protection and care policy, it makes only superficial reference to the need for regulating of the economy. The main lacuna of the agenda, however, is that it does not address the issue of relationality – the systemic asymmetries in economic, social and political power. As a result, it is weak on policy, and there is the risk that poverty eradication will remain an elusive goal, even beyond 2030, despite the agenda’s transformative remit.

Social protection and agriculture: Introduction to the special issue

Since Margaret Thatcher reached power in the United Kingdom, European governments have increasingly turned to neoliberal forms of policy-making, focusing, especially after the 2008 Great Recession on 'austerity policies' rather than investing in social protection policies. We applied a multiple explanatory case studies methodology to examine how and why challenges and resistance to these austerity measures are successful or not in four settings for three different social policy issues: using a gender lens in state budgeting in Andalusia (Spain), maintaining unemployment benefits in Italy and cuts to fuel poverty reduction programs in Northern Ireland and England. In particular, we intended to learn about whether resistance strategies are shared across disparate cases or whether there are unique activities that lead to successful resistance to austerity policies. As our approach drew from realist philosophy of science, we started with initial theories concerning collective action, political ideology and political power of affected populations. Our findings suggest that there are similarities between the cases we studied despite differences in political and policy contexts. We found that joint action between advocacy groups was effective in resisting cuts to social spending. Evidence also indicates that the social construction of target populations is important in resisting changes to social programmes. This was observed in both England and Northern Ireland where pensioners held significant political clout.

Poverty remains pervasive in Kenya despite efforts to reduce it. This may be attributed to poor understanding of its predictors. Using Afrobarometer Round 7 data and employing multivariate logistic regression, the study found that age, religion and political affiliation were risk factors associated with poverty while education was a protective factor. The study recommends that investing more in all levels of education is key to reducing poverty in Kenya. Further, social protection policies and programmes for the elderly, as well as initiatives to enhance savings for those in the informal economy, are important for poverty reduction.

Selective garbage collection and separation involves many of the urban poor. For them solid waste means resources and recycling becomes a survival strategy. In Brazil, almost a million recyclers perform the service of collecting, separating and commercializing recyclable material. Their work is considered mostly informal and is subject to health risks, accidents and exploitation. Some recyclers are organized in cooperatives, associations or social enterprises. These collective forms of organization provide important spaces for social inclusion and human development, by promoting meaningful work, increasing the workers’ self‐esteem and improving their living and working conditions. Resource recovery and recycling also generate net carbon credits, which need to be redirected towards this sector. The recent introduction of waste to energy technology is perceived as a threat to the recyclers’ livelihoods. Incineration does not generate income, produces environmental contamination and competes with other forms of waste management. Action oriented, participatory research with recycling groups in Brazil supports the argument that organized recycling generates social, economic and environmental benefits and radically addresses poverty reduction. Remunerating the recyclers for their service and considering the environmental gains of their work ( Clean Development Mechanism ) tackles the Millennium Development Goal of poverty alleviation. Finally, participatory waste management has an important role to play in promoting necessary drastic changes towards a closed looped economies and more sustainable communities on a global scale.

- The theory of delayed gratification is widely recognized for its explanatory power in predicting individual and societal success. It posits that the ability to defer immediate desires in favor of greater future rewards is crucial for achieving long-term goals. In the context of poverty reduction, this theory suggests that the ability of individuals living in poverty to delay immediate gratification is crucial for escaping poverty. Those who can delay gratification are more likely to break free from poverty, while those who cannot tend to remain trapped in it. This paper highlights the limitations of the delayed gratification theory in explaining why poverty reduction achieved through this approach often fails to reduce inequality and ensure sustainability. It seeks to move beyond the theory by presenting an alternative theoretical framework that better explains the persistence of poverty and the shortcomings of delayed gratification in addressing inequality and unsustainability. The study draws on three sources of data: (1) a comprehensive literature review, (2) introspective insights and non-judgmental observation of thoughts and emotions by the second and third authors, and (3) a field survey conducted in the Kobeigane GS Division of the Kurunegala District in Sri Lanka, involving interviews with 35 individuals from both wealthy and poor families. Our findings confirm that, as the theory suggests, individuals in poverty who possess the ability to delay gratification are more likely to escape it. However, their success often reinforces the very desires they once delayed. As a result, these reinforced desires, along with the associated aversions, sense of self, and self-centeredness, have diminished their capacity to act in harmony with themselves, others, and nature in ways that promote equality and sustainability. This limitation stems from the theory's underlying materialistic paradigm, which implicitly assumes that desires are fixed and permanent traits of human nature. In contrast, our findings reveal that desires are not fixed and permanent but conditioned mental constructs that can be dissolved by freeing the mind from its conditioning. Based on this insight, the paper proposes an alternative theory of mental conditioning. This theory suggests that sustainable poverty reduction, along with reduced inequality and enhanced sustainability, depends not merely on delaying desires but on transcending them altogether. It argues that the perpetuation of poverty is driven not only by external material conditions but also by internal factors, namely, mental conditioning that constrains individuals' capacity to escape poverty and foster equality and sustainability. While acknowledging the importance of addressing structural and external factors, the proposed theory emphasizes the transformative potential of freeing the mind from conditioning. A mind thus freed acts naturally and spontaneously for the well-being of the whole self, others, and nature. Such inner transformation, in both wealthy and poor individuals, leads to poverty and inequality reduction that is both effective and sustainable. Drawing on this theoretical framework, the paper outlines practical strategies for integrating mind-liberating practices into poverty reduction programs through local religious centers, educational institutions, and voluntary groups Keywords: Beyond Gratification Theory, Mental Conditioning, Poverty Alleviation, Spirituality, Sustainability

Kenya envisages being a developed nation by 2030. This calls for increased transition rates from primary to secondary school in all districts to meet its anticipated middle and high level manpower requirements. However, transition rates from primary to secondary school in some districts remain low despite the government effort to offer tuition free secondary education. This has been attributed to a number of factors among them cultural, environmental, school-based or socio-economic factors. This is a cause of concern if the government has to meet Vision 2030 as well as MDGs by 2015. This paper reports on factors affecting transition rates from primary to secondary school in Taita Taveta district, Kenya. A sample of 144 respondents consisting of 88 parents and 56 primary school head teachers in the district were used. The main tools of data collection were a questionnaire and interview schedule. Data analysis involved the use of percentages and a Chi- square. The results indicate that an average of 40% of pupils fail to transits to secondary schools every year in the district and the most affected are girls. The main reasons for non transition are lack of funds to pay school levies, early marriages, long distance to school and lack of interest in schooling. There is thus need for the government to introduce incentives such as additional allocations to the poor, include secondary education as basic education, empower the locals through poverty eradication strategies and review the curriculum to make it more responsive to students’ interests. Key words: cultural factors, environmental factors, school-based factors, socio-economic factors, transition rate.