Poverty continues to be one of the most formidable global challenges. For this reason, the world is working to end all forms of poverty by 2030, as articulated in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1. However, the world is off track. Over one billion people around the world are still living in multidimensional poverty, and poverty is worsening across all regions. As the world prepares for the Second Summit on Social Development in November 2025, aimed at strengthening global efforts to eradicate poverty and address other social challenges, it is essential to understand the critical gaps that have allowed global poverty to persist, together with possible solutions. Using secondary data, this article therefore discusses seven critical gaps in poverty eradication, and proposes strategies to address these gaps with a view to informing and influencing the deliberations in the upcoming Second World Summit on Social Development, which is expected to make actionable commitments to address the gaps and accelerate efforts to eradicate poverty.
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