Reducing Inequality within and among African Countries

Introduction

This article is a part of the series under the Sustainable Development Goal (“SDG”) – 10 of the United Nations, targeting “Reduce inequality within and among countries". The UN has always been giving the African region relatively greater attention to support people in terms of health and education. However, with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, more and more parts of the world warrant the UN’s attention. This first article will focus on the issue of Africa.

Aims and Goals

Goal 10 of SDGs, more commonly known as ‘Reduced Inequalities’, aims to reduce inequalities and ensure no one is left behind. The objective of Goal 10 is to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their income, gender, age, disability, race, ethnicity, migratory status, or other characteristics, have equal rights and opportunities. By 2023, the UN hopes to empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, and progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40% of the population at a rate higher than the national average.

Challenges for Africa

Although Africa consists of both low- and middle-income countries, many issues nonetheless exist in the region. In 2015, the UN Millennium Development Goals (“MDGs”) commit world leaders to combat poverty, illiteracy, discrimination against women issues etc. For Africa, many areas, particularly those related to health and education, have experienced significant advancements. Quoting the MDG Report 2015, ‘Africa made great strides towards the eight MDGs’. Nevertheless, many goals and targets have yet to be achieved. For instance, although Sub-Saharan Africa had the fastest advancements among all developing regions, 70% of its population still suffers from lack of access to improved sanitation facility, and it nonetheless detains the highest child mortality rate in the world.

Poverty and food insecurity can be attributed to the longstanding conflicts and disputes on the African continent. For instance, the Ethiopia and Eritrea Conflict between 1998 and 2000 has had devastating humanitarian consequences, including widespread violence, displacement, and food insecurity. Furthermore, climate change poses a significant threat to economic, social and environmental development in Africa. While Africa’s forests play a vital role in providing ecosystem services and supporting biodiversity, there is strong evidence that warming in Africa has increased greatly over the past 50 to 100 years, where desertification has clear effects on the health, livelihoods and food security of people in Africa: lessened crop yields and increased water scarcity exacerbate the problem of hunger and malnutrition.

Persistent gender inequality also limits Africa’s potential to achieve full social and economic progress. For example, many girls remain illiterate as they still face barriers to accessing quality education, as supported by a UNESCO report stating that around 9 million girls (about half the population of New York) of primary school age will never set foot in a classroom in sub-Saharan Africa.

The UN’s Efforts

Therefore, the Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development reiterates the need to focus on ‘providing focused and scaled-up assistance to least developed countries, in line with relevant support programs.’ The UN also cooperates closely with African heads of states through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (“NEPAD”) to reinforce the need for regional integration and provide a strategic framework for socio-economic development, such as through agriculture and food security schemes, and enhancing financial and technological support to African countries.

To address the issue of gender inequality, UN Women commits to empowering women by implementing programs tailored to individual countries. For instance, UN Women engages with national electoral systems and political parties to provide equal playing field for women candidates, and assists women politicians’ leadership development. UN Women also works to deepen partnerships with State actors and civil society organizations to end violence against women and girls.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the UN recognizes the particular needs of the African region and is committed to reducing inequality within and among countries by partnering with African nations to promote socio-economic development. As collaborative efforts are crucial to achieving inclusive and sustainable progress in Africa, the UN strives to improve access to education, healthcare, and empowering women.

By Emma Lau