New Delhi, Sep 19 (UNI) Gates Foundation Report has called for increased focus on health and education in the poorest countries.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has launched its second annual Goalkeepers Data Report, pointing to demographic trends that could stall unprecedented progress in reducing global poverty.
While one billion people have lifted themselves out of poverty over the past 20 years, rapid population growth in the poorest countries, particularly in Africa, puts future progress at risk.
According to the report, if current trends continue, the number of extremely poor people in the world could stop its two-decade decline—and could even rise.
Despite the sobering projections, Bill and Melinda Gates, who are among the world's leading philantrophists, express optimism that today’s growing youth populations could help drive progress.
Investing in the health and education of young people in Africa could unlock productivity and innovation, leading to a 'third wave' of poverty reduction, which follows the first wave in China and the second in India, the report says.
'The conclusion is clear: To continue improving the human condition, our task now is to help create opportunities in Africa’s fastest-growing, poorest countries,” Bill and Melinda Gates write in the introduction.
"This means investing in young people. Specifically, it means investing in their health and education.'
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