According to a report issued by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank on Wednesday, 333 million children suffer from extreme poverty, in light of a living reality exacerbated by several factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic, population growth and climate-related disasters.
"Worsening crises from COVID-19, conflict, climate change and economic shocks have disrupted progress and left millions of children in extreme poverty," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Ending child poverty is a policy choice."
World Bank Global Director for Poverty and Equality Luis Felipe López Calva said in a statement that "a world where 333 million children live in extreme poverty, deprived not only of basic needs, but of dignity, opportunity or hope, is simply unsustainable."
The report found that 40% of children in sub-Saharan Africa still live in extreme poverty, the highest proportion in the world.
The World Bank and UNICEF called on countries to prioritize tackling childhood poverty and impose a series of measures, including expanding subsidy programs.
The findings of this report are contrary to the expectations of the United Nations and its goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030.