Essay on Poverty

Not everyone is born into a rich family. Those lucky enough to have been born into one have a responsibility to help those not so blessed. The United Nations' job is just that. They are an international agency whose aim is to eliminate poverty, illiteracy, and disease, stop environmental destruction, and encourage democratic rights and freedoms. Poverty is something that is affecting every country in the world, no matter how big or small, rich or poor. This issue causes the most pain today, and is also the biggest threat to a person's future. Eradicating poverty should be the top priority of the United Nations in the 21st century because it will reduce the amount of malnutrition in people and improve their education.

One of the reasons why poverty must be eradicated is because without it there would be a dramatic drop in the number of malnourished people around the world. Poverty can affect young and old and is the biggest contributor to malnutrition. This can be seen in the Central American country of Guatemala. The Guatemala Poverty Assessment states that, "There is a strong correlation between poverty and malnutrition, as four fifths of malnourished children are poor" (Guatemala Poverty). In politics, a 66% super majority is rarely required when deciding on an issue because of the difficulty in achieving it. Therefore, when a supermajority is achieved, it can always be assumed that it is in the best interest of the people. Since there is an 80% correlation between malnourishment and poverty in Guatemala, it is practically guaranteed that if the United Nations were to focus on reducing poverty, the malnourishment in the population would also reduce. Another country that has shown this to be true is Vietnam. In 1985, they were considered a poor country and decided to try to bring their poverty level down. After 1985, "The percentage of hunger and poor households declined rapidly, from approximately 40% in 1985 to nearly 30% in the early 1990s, to 20% in 1995...