As the UN poverty eradication decade winds down, the hard questions begin

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The Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty is entering its final phase. With less than two years remaining, attention is shifting away from ambition and toward assessment. Not in a score-keeping sense, but in a practical one: what has shaped progress, what has constrained it, and what role research and evidence can still play as global conditions remain volatile. 

About the Third UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty 

The Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty runs from 2018 to 2027. It frames poverty as a structural issue that cuts across income, food security, health, education, housing and access to basic services. Its intent was to accelerate coordinated action across governments, institutions and sectors that were aligned with national priorities, rather than imposed solutions. 

From the outset, the Decade acknowledged that poverty is not a single problem with a single fix. It is shaped by systems — economic, social, environmental and political — and by the quality of decisions made within them. 

Why the final years matter 

As the Decade approaches its endpoint, context matters more than targets. The past decade has been defined by disruption: the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, inflationary pressure and accelerating climate impacts. These overlapping shocks have materially altered poverty trajectories and slowed or reversed progress in many regions (United Nations General Assembly, 2023). 

This does not cancel out earlier gains, but it does change how progress should be assessed. The final years of the Decade are not about catching up on missed milestones. They are about recognising constraints, recalibrating expectations and understanding where evidence can still influence outcomes. 

For research organisations, this distinction is important. The value of research is not diminished by this complexity — but its relevance does depend on how well it engages with it. 

Poverty, research and the long arc of impact 

Australia’s contribution to poverty eradication often sits in applied research rather than direct service delivery. Much of it focuses on agriculture, food systems, natural resource management and livelihoods — areas where change is cumulative rather than immediate. 

Work supported by organisations such as the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research illustrates this approach. Research that improves soil management, crop resilience or farming practices for smallholder farmers rarely presents as poverty reduction in isolation. Its effects emerge over time through improved productivity, reduced risk exposure and stronger local decision-making. 

Crucially, this work depends on partnership. Local knowledge shapes research questions and determines what is adopted, adapted or discarded. Communities are not passive recipients of evidence; they are active contributors to how it is generated and applied. 

Evidence is necessary — but not sufficient 

One of the clearest lessons of the current UN Decade is that evidence alone does not drive change. Research competes with political cycles, fiscal constraints and urgent crisis response. Its influence depends on timing, relevance and trust. 

This is where communication becomes material. Not as promotion, but as translation. Clear communication explains assumptions, limits and trade-offs. It distinguishes between what is known, what is uncertain and what is context-specific. It allows policymakers and practitioners to use evidence without overstating its reach or ignoring its constraints. 

Poorly communicated research is easy to sideline. Well-communicated research supports better decisions, even when choices are hard. 

Communication as part of the system 

In the context of poverty eradication, communication is not an add-on at the end of a project. It is part of the research system itself. It links evidence to policy, policy to practice, and practice back to learning. 

As the UN Decade moves toward its conclusion, the most useful contribution research organisations can make is not to promise solutions by 2027. It is to ensure that the knowledge already generated is clear, credible and usable — now and beyond the Decade’s formal end. 

United Nations General Assembly. (2023). Implementation of the Third United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018–2027): Report of the Secretary-General (A/78/239).