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UN

Crisis sparks rise in child poverty in rich countries

At least 2.6 million children have fallen below the poverty line in the world's richest nations since the economic crisis struck in 2008, Unicef said in a hard-hitting report on Tuesday.

Crisis sparks rise in child poverty in rich countries
Image from Unicef report (detail).

The "Children of the Recession" study showed that the number of minors living in poverty in 41 countries had swollen to 76.5 million since the deepest crisis since the Great Depression took hold.
   
"Many affluent countries have suffered a 'great leap backwards' in terms of household income, and the impact on children will have long-lasting repercussions for them and their communities," said Jeffrey O'Malley, Unicef's head of global policy and strategy.
   
The study by the United Nations' children's aid agency assessed members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development grouping of industrialized nations, as well as European Union countries.
   
It found that in 23 of the 41 countries, child poverty had risen as a direct result of the crisis.
   
Children were particularly hard-hit in nations that have suffered the most.

In Ireland, Croatia, Latvia, Greece and Iceland, poverty rates rose by over 50 percent.
   
In Greece, the most symbolic of all Europe's crisis casualties, median household incomes for families with children had sunk to the 1998 level — the equivalent of receding 14 years on the income ladder.
   
Those in Ireland and Spain lost a decade, as did Luxembourg, even though it remains among the wealthiest economies in Europe.
   
Families with children in Iceland lost nine years, while Italy, Hungary and Portugal lost eight.
   
Underlining the impact of the crisis, Unicef said the percentage of households unable to buy meat, chicken or fish every two days had more than doubled in countries such as Estonia, Greece and Italy.
   
It said while early stimulus programmes in some countries were effective in shielding children, by 2010 the bulk of countries had pivoted to budget cuts.
   
The negative impact on children was particularly potent in the Mediterranean region, it said.
   
Sweeping budget cuts in social safety nets had a serious knock-on effect, Unicef said.

 Social safety nets crucial

"Unicef research shows that the strength of social protection policies was a decisive factor in poverty prevention," said O'Malley.
   
"All countries need strong social safety nets to protect children in bad times and in good — and wealthy countries should lead by example, explicitly committing to eradicate child poverty, developing policies to offset economic downturns, and making child well-being a top priority," he added.
   
In the United States, where extreme child poverty has risen more in this slump than during the recession of 1982, social safety nets provided key support to poor working families but were less effective for the jobless ultra-poor, Unicef said.
   
Child poverty has increased in 34 out of 50 US states since the start of the crisis.
   
In 2012, 24.2 million children were living in poverty, a net increase of 1.7 million from 2008, the study showed.
   
There was some good news, however.
   
In 18 countries, including Switzerland, child poverty actually fell, sometimes markedly.
   
Australia, Chile, Finland, Norway, Poland and Slovakia, for example, reduced levels by around 30 percent.

To check the full report, click here.

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UN

‘The war must end now’: UN Sec-Gen meets Swedish PM in Stockholm

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres met Sweden's Prime Minister in Stockholm on Wednesday, ahead of the conference marking the 50th anniversary of the city's historic environment summit .

'The war must end now': UN Sec-Gen meets Swedish PM in Stockholm

After a bilateral meeting with Magdalena Andersson on the security situation in Europe, Guterres warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to a global food crisis that would hurt some of the world’s most vulnerable people. 

“It is causing immense suffering, destruction and devastation of the country. But it also inflames a three-dimensional global crisis in food, energy and finance that is pummelling the most vulnerable people, countries and economies,” the Portuguese diplomat told a joint press conference with Andersson. 

He stressed the need for “quick and decisive action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy,” including “lifting export restrictions, allocating surpluses and reserves to vulnerable populations and addressing food price increases to calm market volatility.”

Between the two, Russia and Ukraine produce around 30 percent of the global wheat supply.

Guterres was in Stockholm to take part in the Stockholm 50+ conference, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. 

The conference, which was held on the suggestion of the Swedish government in 1972 was the first UN meeting to discuss human impacts on the global environment, and led to the establishment of the UN Environment Program (UNEP). 

At the joint press conference, Andersson said that discussions continued between Sweden and Turkey over the country’s continuing opposition to Sweden’s application to join the Nato security alliance. 

“We have held discussions with Turkey and I’m looking forward to continuing the constructive meetings with Turkey in the near future,” she said, while refusing to go into detail on Turkey’s demands. 

“We are going to take the demands which have been made of Sweden directly with them, and the same goes for any misunderstandings which have arisen,” she said. 

At the press conference, Guterres condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine as “a violation of its territorial integrity and a violation of the UN Charter”.

“The war must end now,” he said. 

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