A focus on inequality and children's well-being will further our fight against poverty

Heads of state from around the world are gathering at the UN summit this week for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda. It is a pivotal moment. The Sustainable Development Goals - consisting of 17 goals and 169 targets - will serve as an extension of the Millennium Development Goals, which will expire at the end of the year.

Representing a unanimous global consensus to tackle poverty, the millennium goals have achieved much. The number of people living in extreme poverty has been halved. Since 1990, over 2.6 billion people globally have gained access to improved drinking water. More girls are now going to school than before, and there has been unprecedented achievements in fighting diseases such as HIV and Aids.

Yet, the millennium goals were less successful in addressing inequality: they were blind to the differences between countries and did not encourage reaching out to the most vulnerable children.

Many countries claimed success in reaching these targets, but the hardest to reach and most vulnerable people have not benefited. Globally, the poorest 20 per cent of people earn between 1 per cent and 2 per cent of the world's income, and over a quarter of all children are located in this bottom 20 per cent. Some of the worst poverty is today found in countries like India and Brazil, which are also generating vast wealth. Inequality within countries is just as glaring as inequality between countries.

Some argue that rising inequality was an unfortunate but necessary side effect of economic growth, and that eventually the "trickle down effect" will increase poor people's income. However, some experts argue that, without addressing inequality, it is unlikely that absolute income poverty reduction can be achieved worldwide.