United Nations Development Program
Eradication of Poverty
Turkey
Nanda Murali
Forest Hills Eastern
Poverty is considered a symbolic issue in the global world. It is a very significant topic, and cannot be solved simply. According to the United Nations, poverty is not defined as a lack of money but as a lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. Although countries with low economic development tend to have higher rates of poverty, impoverished people are found in all nations. Simply fixing economies will not address the issue, nor will providing people with the necessities that they do not have. The ineffectiveness of previous attempts to battle poverty is due to the way it is being addressed; the United Nations Development Program should examine and attack the root causes of poverty, and not fall back to treating the effects. Each nation should analyze their domestic causes, and develop a plan to ensure changes and improvements in order to battle the issue of modern poverty.
As an increasingly industrial nation, Turkey is focused on decreasing the issue of poverty. Deficits in healthcare contribute to poverty- the quality of Turkey’s healthcare is steadily improving, and since 2014 there has been near-universal health insurance coverage. To combat this, the Turkish government has developed a system geared at helping those that receive welfare to escape poverty. The Ministry of Family and Social Policies has worked to integrate social assistance programs from entirely paper-based to electronically, which has contributed to the efforts more effectively. Although Turkey’s GDP has nearly tripled in the past ten years, many of the people do not see this growth and still end up in poverty. According to the World Bank (2018), the poverty rate fell from 44% to 18.5% between 2002 and 2014. However, the Syrian refugee crisis from 2014 onward has placed a burden on the government, slowing down efforts for social assistance. Among the The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), income distribution in Turkey continues to be one of the most unequal. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, the top 10% of earners received 31.4% of income and the bottom 10% of earners received 2.4% of total income in 2017. This places Turkey as an average country in terms of poverty. Because of these factors, Turkey has the potential to greatly influence eradicating poverty, but also requires assistance in eradicating poverty domestically.
Poverty is particularly prevalent among people with lower educational attainment, workers in the informal sector, unpaid family careers and homemakers, and the elderly. Because of this, Turkey proposes that the United Nations focus welfare programs on those groups of people, regardless of the economic condition of the country. By regarding all countries equal, global poverty can be controlled throughout the world. Focusing on specific, developing countries will slow the process. A resolution that will eradicate poverty in all countries will ensure a prosperous world.
- Nanda Murali
