UNIVERSITY OF LAY ADVENTISTS OF KIGALI (UNILAK)

NYANZA CAMPUS
FACULTY OF LAW
DEPARTMENT OF LAW
LEVEL IV WEEKEND PROGRAM
COURSE: INTERNATIONAL LAW OF DEVELOPMENT

GROUP ASSIGNMENT

NON POVERTY: MODALITIES IN

WHICH POVERTY CAN BE
ERADICATED
J

BY: 17873/2021
• 13776/2018
• 17787/2021
• 17590/2020
• 16155/2019
• 14092/2018

LECTURER: UFITIMANA Corneille

Done at Nyanza on 20th, Nov, 2022

Table of Contents
GENERAL INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 3
1. GENERAL NOTION OF NO POVERTY AS SDG ...................................................... 4
2. WAYS FOR ERADICATING POVERTY. .................................................................... 5
2.1. Improve the training of farmers ....................................................................................... 5
2.2. Establish gender equality ................................................................................................. 6
2.3. Ensure clean water ........................................................................................................... 7
2.4. Reinstate good healthcare................................................................................................. 7
2.5. Make education a priority ................................................................................................ 7
2.6. Make international aid a bigger part of legislation ........................................................... 8
2.7. Involve all sectors of the government in the developing country ....................................... 8
2.8. People abroad and domestically need to speak up ............................................................ 8
2.9. Direct aid needs to be given .............................................................................................. 9
2.10. Keep the national market open to trade.......................................................................... 9
2.11. Poverty alleviation through peace................................................................................... 9
GENERAL CONCLUSION ............................................................................................10
Bibliography ..................................................................................................................11
GENERAL INTRODUCTION

The field of law and development examines the role of law, legal institutions, and legal
systems in economic, social, and political development1. It generates a range of practical
challenges, including implementation and enforcement of a right to development; the role of
state, and the role of an increasingly globalized civil society; the rule of law; environmental
sustainability; land reform; poverty and aid; issues of gender in law and development; law-
building in post-conflict situations; transparency and accountability for donors and recipients;
and the relationship between human rights, social justice, and rule of law 2.

Currently, in no circumstances we can say international law of development without talking

about SDGs (sustainable development goals), The Sustainable Development Goals or Global
Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "shared blueprint for
peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future". The SDGs were set
up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by
2030. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a global blueprint for dignity,
peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future. In those 17 SDGs,
there is one called No poverty.

No poverty. This is First SDG, it aims to end poverty in all its forms everywhere. Its
objectives include ensuring that the entire population and especially the poorest and most
vulnerable have equal rights to economic resources, access to basic services, property and
land control, natural resources and new technologies 3. There are different strategies that must
be there to implement this SDG, in other words, there are ways in which poverty must be

1 C.Ufitimana , international law of development, course notes, UNILAK, faculty of law, level four weekend
program, 2022. P.7
2 Id,p. 8
3 X, no poverty, retrieved at https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/committed-sustainable-development-

goals/sdg-1-no-poverty , accessed on 19/11/2022

eradicated, those ways in which poverty must be eradicated are going to be discussed in this
work under section two.
Apart from General introduction, this work has two section, one is General notion on No
poverty as SDG and second one is Ways of eradicating poverty.

1. GENERAL NOTION OF NO POVERTY AS SDG

No poverty is first SDG in 17 SDGs aims at End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
Eradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity.
While the number of people living in extreme poverty has dropped by more than half – from
1.9 billion in 1990, to 836 million in 2015 – too many people are still struggling to meet the
most basic human needs 4. Ending poverty is one of 17 Global Goals that make up the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development. An integrated approach is crucial for progress across
multiple goals.

Aim: It aims to ensure social protection for the poor and vulnerable, increase access to basic
services and support people harmed by climate-related extreme events and other economic,
social and environmental shocks and disasters. Space technologies are central, among other
things, in:

• Forecasting natural disasters and better coordinate subsequent aid provision

• Optimising sustainable utilisation of natural resources
• Providing efficient support to vulnerable populations
• Mapping populated areas and their access to basic services 5.

Briefly, SDG 1 (No poverty) calls for the eradication of poverty in all its manifestations. It
envisions shared prosperity, a basic standard of living and social protection benefits for

4 X, eradicating poverty, retrieved at https://jointsdgfund.org/sustainable-development-goals/goal-1-no-

poverty , accessed on 19/11/2022
5 INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT LAW – Vol. I - The Concept of International Development Law

- Anthony Carty
people everywhere, including the poorest and most vulnerable. The goal seeks to ensure
equal rights and access to economic and natural resources.

2. WAYS FOR ERADICATING POVERTY.

Poverty refers to a lack of wealth or income such that individuals and households do not
have the means to subsist or acquire the basic necessities for a flourishing life. This means
being so poor as to struggle to obtain food, clothing, shelter, and medicines.
Poverty is both an individual concern as well as a broader social problem. On the individual
or household level, not being able to make ends meet can lead to a range of physical and
mental issues. At the societal level, high poverty rates can be a damper on economic growth
and be associated with problems like crime, unemployment, urban decay, lack of education,
and poor health. As such, governments often instate social welfare programs to help lift
families out of poverty. Some countries have stronger welfare states (social safety nets) than
others.
Every country has its own measure for poverty. However, a widely recognized authority on
the topic of “extreme poverty” is the World Bank. The Bank keeps a metric called the
International Poverty Line and, as of 2015, set the definition of extreme poverty as those who
live on less than US$1.90 per day. (Those living on between $1.90-$3.10 per day are
classified as the “moderate poor.”) This number is based on the monetary value of a person’s
consumption rather than income alone6. The following are ways for eradicating poverty:

2.1. Improve the training of farmers

It is so important for developing countries that their agriculture is not only thriving but is
sustainable. Teaching sustainable techniques to farmers is one of the ways that demonstrates
how to solve poverty, because when a country’s natural resources are at their top potential, so

6Rose, M.E. and Economic History Society (GB), 1986. The relief of poverty, 1834-1914 (pp. 11-14).
London: Macmillan.
is its economy. Teaching methods to sustain agriculture, investing in proper equipment and
instructing farmers on more efficient practices will also improve the quality of life for the
farmers themselves.

The majority of the rural poor are smallholder farmers, who are responsible for most global
food production. Helping them to improve farm productivity through better access to
resources, technologies, markets and organizations will be critical for both poverty
eradication and food security. Compared to general growth in low-income developing
countries, agricultural growth’s impact on poverty reduction could be as much as five times
greater.

2.2. Establish gender equality

When asking how to solve poverty globally, a trend keeps popping up: many poverty-stricken
countries lack gender equality. The fact is that when women are allowed to participate in the
economy through new laws, social acceptance and proper child care for their family, the
country thrives. Since roughly half of any country’s population is made up of women, it is
not only arguably a moral obligation, but a practical solution for how to solve poverty.
Gender equality can mean getting religious leaders involved, spreading awareness through
the country’s media with women depicted as capable and even educating the women
themselves on their rights 7.

One of the biggest inequalities we need to address is gender inequality. According to the
UN’s High-Level Panel for Women’s Economic Empowerment, women’s unpaid labor adds
up to $10 trillion per year 13% of the global GDP. According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization, women own less than 20% of agricultural land in parts of Africa and Asia, yet
make up 60% of the agricultural workforce8.

7 X, gender equality in reducing poverty, https://ideas4development.org/en/gender-equality-precondition-

eradication-poverty-2/ , accessed on 20/11/2022
8 Rayner, Steve, and Elizabeth L. Malone. "Climate change, poverty, and intragenerational equity: the

national level." International Journal of Global Environmental Issues 1, no. 2 (2001): 175-202.
2.3. Ensure clean water

Having access to clean water is a huge factor in a country’s welfare. Not only does it need to
be safe to drink, but it needs to be closer to people’s homes. While most middle-class citizens
can just turn on a tap for clean water to pour out of, many poor families spend hours just
trying to find water, and it is not always entirely clean. Investing in clean wells and water
systems can not only ensure the safety of a country’s citizens but can free up their time,
allowing them to better participate in the economy

2.4. Reinstate good healthcare

When a person is healthy, they can go to work, participate in community events (like voting
or meetings) and can better contribute to society. Making sure a country has good healthcare
is essential to alleviating poverty. This involves widespread vaccinations, investing in better
hospitals and resources, training medical professionals and improving hygiene on a national
level.

2.5. Make education a priority

A huge factor in how to solve poverty involves education. Lifting a country out of poverty
means educating its citizens not only on basics like math and science, but on proper hygiene,
gender equality, educating females equally, economic factors and investing in resources for
schools. To better the school system in developing nations, not only do the resources and
school building need to be improved, but the teachers need to be trained properly and paid.
Encouraging school attendance and teacher certification will create a more conscious society,
more jobs and better-equipped citizens in the fight against poverty.
According to UNESCO, if all students in low-income countries had just basic reading and
writing skills (nothing else), an estimated 171 million people could escape extreme poverty.
If all adults completed secondary education, we could cut the global poverty rate by more
than half. Education develops skills and abilities, corrects some of the imbalances that come
out of marginalization, and decreases both risk and vulnerability.

Some of the key areas of focus for making sure that education is truly for all involve breaking
down the barriers to education: creating access to school in remote areas, supporting teachers
in their work to deliver quality education, and making sure that education is available to
children living in fragile contexts. 9

2.6. Make international aid a bigger part of legislation

Not all countries can lift themselves out of poverty without help. Most will need aid from
wealthier nations. Making that happen through legislation will ensure that funds go towards
the struggle against poverty and will improve the global quality of life.

2.7. Involve all sectors of the government in the developing country

When it comes down to it, a nation through struggling needs all hands-on deck to resolve it.
They need to have educators, businessmen and lawmakers all involved. This will help
identify problems in a range of areas and will ensure that as much support as possible is being
given.

2.8. People abroad and domestically need to speak up

People in struggling countries need to vote if they can for initiatives to help solve poverty

9Tilak, Jandhyala BG. "Education and poverty." Journal of human development 3, no. 2 (2002): 191-
207.
(things like education funding and gender equality laws), and those abroad need to vote to
make poverty a focal point of legislation. The government looks to the people for what is
important, and if enough people vote on something such as international aid, then it will
become a focus.

2.9. Direct aid needs to be given

Throwing money at a problem will never solve anything. Funds need to go to a direct cause.
Rather than giving a foreign government money for clean water, fund a well-building project.
Rather than giving money to a country to hire more teachers, send teachers in to train some.
Do not give money for a solution; give them the solution. This helps sidestep corruption and
delay. Take Peru as an example, over the past couple of decades, the combination of political
stability and good economic policies have led to the development of new opportunities. The
poor in Peru now grow vegetables that are exported. That has translated into people being
able to move out of agriculture into service and manufacturing jobs or to move from
subsistence farming to raising profitable products like asparagus 10.

2.10. Keep the national market open to trade

Ensure that the governments abroad are staying open to trade with developing countries. This
will help fuel the struggling nation’s economy and create more jobs for that country. In the
end, the wealthy country gains a new trading partner, and the developing country gains a
sustainable way to grow its economy.

While the questions revolving around how to solve poverty are complex and face dead ends
at times, there are solutions to the problem. Making sure that a solution is not only effective
but sustainable is a priority that always needs to be met. The fight continues and will continue
to be fought until all necessary steps are taken.

2.11. Poverty alleviation through peace

10X, poverty reduction, retrieved at https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2016/06/08/ending-

extreme-poverty , accessed on 20/11/2022
Ending all war while ambitious means that budgets allocated to cover the cost of conflict can
be used to deliver public services. It also reduces risks faced by the most vulnerable
communities, and ensures that goals towards equality and inclusion can be maintained.

We’ve seen this play out time and again: While estimates around data for the country
vary, Syria‘s poverty rate following the start of the Syrian crisis increased from
approximately 12% in 2007 to 83% in 2019. Conversely, in Nepal, a decade-long civil war
ended in 2006. This correlated with a sharp increase in gross national income (GNI) and
gross domestic product (GDP) year-over-year.11

GENERAL CONCLUSION

poor people cannot afford a healthy and balanced diet, nice clothes, proper education, a stable
and clean house, etc. because all these facilities require money and they don't even have
money to feed two meals a day then how can they afford to pay for these facilities. That is
why, no poverty SDG is there, there are different ways of eradicating poverty including:
Improve the training of farmers, Keep the national market open to trade, Direct aid needs to
be given, make education a priority, ensure clean water and others that have been discussed
above. All those strategies that have been discussed requires the International partnership
through laws for being binding, whether it is soft law or hard law. Examples of soft law
include recommendations, guidelines, codes of conduct, non-binding resolutions, and
standards. In contrast, hard law refers to legally binding instruments, which in international
law typically take the form of treaties. Soft and hard law present both advantages and
disadvantages12. International development looks at improving the lives of individuals
worldwide through areas of need and interest. With areas such as health, education,
democracy, sustainability, and economics, people are better equipped to live more equitable
lives with greater opportunities. That is why the SDGs has to be one of concept to deal with
in international law of development, and No poverty is one of them.

11 Burt, Alison, Barry Hughes, and Gary Milante. "Eradicating poverty in fragile states: prospects of
reaching the." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7002 (2014).
12 X, hard law and soft law, retrieved at https://opiniojuris.org/2021/11/30/overcoming-the-soft-vs-hard-law-

debate-in-the-development-of-new-global-health-instruments/ , accessed on 20/11/2022

Bibliography

BOOKS

Burt, Alison, Barry Hughes, and Gary Milante. "Eradicating poverty in fragile states:
prospects of reaching the." World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7002 (2014).

Tilak, Jandhyala BG. "Education and poverty." Journal of human development 3, no. 2
(2002): 191-207.

Rose, M.E. and Economic History Society (GB), 1986. The relief of poverty, 1834-1914 (pp.
11-14). London: Macmillan.

INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT LAW – Vol. I - The Concept of

International Development Law - Anthony Carty

Dissertation and course notes

C.Ufitimana , international law of development, course notes, UNILAK, faculty of law, level
four weekend program, 2022. P.7

Internet sources

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vs-hard-law-debate-in-the-development-of-new-global-health-instruments/ , accessed on
20/11/2022

X, poverty reduction, retrieved at

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2016/06/08/ending-extreme-poverty , accessed
on 20/11/2022
X, gender equality in reducing poverty, https://ideas4development.org/en/gender-equality-
precondition-eradication-poverty-2/ , accessed on 20/11/2022

X, no poverty, retrieved at https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/committed-sustainable-

development-goals/sdg-1-no-poverty , accessed on 19/11/2022

X, eradicating poverty, retrieved at https://jointsdgfund.org/sustainable-development-

goals/goal-1-no-poverty , accessed on 19/11/2022