(ANS - Hyderabad) - According to new estimates, about a billion more people will find themselves in extreme poverty if the leaders of the world do not take key decisions on poverty, inequality and climate change. This is why many organizations and institutions around the world - including the Salesians of Hyderabad - teamed up yesterday, 15 January, to launch the campaign "Action 2015".

The coalition Action 2015 has made a somewhat stricter prediction and estimates that the number of people in extreme poverty (i.e. living on less than $ 1.25 a day) could be reduced significantly from over a billion to 360 million by 2030, that is, from the current 17% to 4% of the world population.

However, if national leaders do not make every effort to reach an ambitious agreement at the UN Special Summit on Sustainable Development in New York in September, and the UN Climate talks in Paris in December, the number of people living in extreme poverty could grow to 1.2 billion by 2030. In this scenario, 1 in 3 people in the world would be forced to live on less than $2 a day.

Since the Millennium Development Goals were formulated and propagated in 2000, much has been done in terms of awareness and involvement. However, a recent survey conducted by the United Nations revealed that the expected results were far from achieved. For this reason, Action Plan 2015 aims essentially to bridge the gap between the formulation and implementation of the objectives.

The Salesians in Hyderabad have joined the campaign, seeing it as a renewed commitment to the protection of children and their future in this year of the Bicentenary of Don Bosco. They organized two brief ceremonies at Hyderabad and Warangal, in which fifteen children met the Deputy Prime Minister of the state of Telangana, Hon. Rajaiah. In both places they gave him a memorandum on the commitments made as part of the campaign.

Dr Rajaiah reiterated the need for better health and education services, especially for children and women, to ensure a future of prosperity. He said he was impressed by the level of awareness of the children and he pledged his support for the cause.

Published 16/01/2015