The Arab region, like the rest of the world, observes the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on the 17th of October every year. This occasion presents all those concerned with this issue with alarming statistics and indicators that continue to multiply due to economic and social crises, developmental imbalances, as well as conflicts and wars.
The Arab region ranks highest in poverty indicators worldwide, subjecting it to various challenges, as mentioned, along with the inability of most Arab countries to overcome their economic crises. In this context, Hind Ben Ammar, the Executive Secretary of the Arab Trade Union Confederation, stated, “On the 17th of October every year, we are reminded of a moral commitment that goes beyond economic, social, and developmental considerations. The fight against poverty is primarily an ethical endeavor, and starting from this point, combating poverty begins with educational and cultural approaches in our Arab countries because we need this cultural foundation to translate poverty eradication economically and developmentally.”
Describing the current situation in the Arab region, she said, “The Arab region faced significant economic challenges even before the appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic, including instability, migration, high unemployment rates, weak developmental efforts, and a lack of developmental justice between regions. These factors exacerbated poverty indicators, as the Arab region faced the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. All of these have led to alarming poverty figures, which have increased from 66 million poor in 1990 to 130 million poor in 2022. It is essential to note that we are talking about a quarter of the Arab region’s population, and unfortunately, women and children top the list of those exposed to poverty.”
As for the Arab Trade Union Confederation’s vision for poverty eradication, the Executive Secretary stated, “Taking into account the numbering of poverty eradication as Goal 1 of the Sustainable Development Goals to emphasize the priority of this issue, the ATUC works within a trade union-trade union approach, alongside social partners and civil society, under the framework of the Goal 1 of the Millennium Development Goals. We have managed to develop a unified vision through regional social dialogue with social partners in Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon to combat poverty, and we aim to expand this initiative with other social partners in Arab countries. We are very pleased that this vision has turned into an effective advocacy paper in all the mentioned countries, reinforcing our position on poverty eradication—a significant progress that we hope to further enhance.”
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