Essay 3: Road to No Poverty

 

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. It was set in 2015 by United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. Among those goals, the first goal is “No Poverty” which is to end poverty in all its forms everywhere.

Poverty is the state of not having enough material possessions or income to meet the basic needs of a person for a minimum standard of living. Despite all technologies and developments that we have built, there are still many families around the globe, living in poverty. Recent estimates for global poverty are that 9.2% of the world, or 689 million people are living in extreme poverty on $1.90 or less a day, according to the World Bank. However, the rate of poverty in Malaysia shows an improvement in 2019 compared to 2016. This signs us that we can actually overcome this matter though it is still far from our goal. Poverty actually entrails more than the lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of participation in decision-making. Various social groups bear disproportionate burden of poverty. Poverty eradication must be mainstreamed into the national policies and actions in accordance with the internationally agreed development goals forming part of the broad United Nations Development Agenda. A social perspective on development requires addressing poverty in all its dimensions. It promotes people-centred approach to poverty eradication advocating the empowerment of people living in poverty through their full participation in all aspects of political, economic and social life.

Islam treats poverty as a social as well ideological evil. It is a social evil because it degrades societal status of the vicegerents of Allah, gives birth to many social problems and puts the poor nations at the disadvantaged position in the world society of human race. Muslims believe that everything belongs to Allah. Because wealth also belongs to Allah, it must be spent rightfully and responsibly. Thus, the rich must help the poor with their wealth given by Allah. Muslims also believe that Allah does not intend poverty to people. We recognize the responsibility to redress the balance where there is poverty, and for a just distribution of the wealth which we believe Allah has created.