Report: ‘What Would it Take to Eliminate Consistent Poverty by 2030?’

COMMUNITY PLATFORM CALLS ON ALL POLITICAL PARTIES TO COMMIT TO ELIMINATING POVERTY BY 2030

The Community Platform, an alliance of 31 national networks and organisations in the community and voluntary sector, has today called on all political parties to commit to the elimination of consistent poverty, as it launched its new report, ‘What Would it Take to Eliminate Consistent Poverty by 2030?’.

Drawing on the collective expertise of the Platform’s members – 31 leading organisations in the community and voluntary sector working to address poverty, social exclusion and inequality – the report provides key insights into the root causes and structural reasons for consistent poverty, and the groups most commonly affected. Crucially, it identifies key solutions and provides recommendations to eliminate consistent poverty.

“This is a critical moment to make the eradication of poverty a political priority. Budget 2025 will be the final budget of the current Government, and a General Election is just around the corner. The Community Platform calls for all Budget measures to be assessed to ensure they reduce poverty, and for all political parties to commit to the elimination of consistent poverty as a key priority ahead of the General Election. The report shows it is possible to eliminate consistent poverty by 2030, but it will need a high level of political commitment,” said report author, Dr Nat O’Connor (Age Action/UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice).

“Ireland has a national target to reduce ‘consistent poverty’ to 2% or less by 2025. The Community Platform believes this official target does not go far enough. Why not aim for zero, as was the stated national policy in 2002 and 2007? Seeking to eliminate consistent poverty by 2030 would say that we want Ireland to be a country that does not leave anyone behind. We need a national anti-poverty strategy based on the goal of eliminating consistent poverty, one that acknowledges and addresses the structural reasons some people are more likely to be in poverty,” said Dr O’Connor.

Dr O’Connor continued: “The range of measures need to achieve the goal of eliminating consistent poverty by 2030 will need to address income adequacy for everyone, access to a decent work for those who can work, and routes out of poverty for those unable to secure an adequate income from work or who are unable to work. Greater investment is needed to ensure access to quality, affordable and sustainable public services for all, irrespective of income level. Tackling and lowering wealth inequality will be crucial, including through progressive taxation.”

Download the full report, ‘What Would it Take to Eliminate Consistent Poverty by 2030?’

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