(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has stressed the need for targeted actions by governments world over to help over 400mn people to escape poverty in its latest report published ahead of the Second World Summit for Social Development ( WWSD) 2025 being held in Doha.
At press conference during the WWSD today, Haoliang Xu, UNDP acting administrator said that rethinking traditional poverty measures by defining 'prosperity floors' can help vulnerable communities cope with shocks without falling back into poverty. 411mn people worldwide could move from poverty to basic security by 2030 if governments adopt context-specific 'prosperity floors' and focus on job-intensive growth, adaptive social protection systems and policies that increase wages
Xi said:“Crossing a $3-a-day threshold is not enough if families are still one emergency-one illness, job loss, or climate crisis-away from being unable to afford housing, food, and essential services. Our report demonstrates that, by 2030, 411mn people could move from poverty to basic security-if governments act together, and act now.”
The report, titled Poverty-to-Prosperity Transitions highlights strategies to ensure not just poverty reduction but sustained prosperity for low-to-middle income households across the globe. According to the report, established poverty measurements identify people who cannot meet minimum needs. By contrast, a 'prosperity floor' identifies the minimum needs for people not only to subsist, but also to be able to withstand unexpected shocks such as a natural disaster or economic downturn.
The report also points out that the new benchmark will not only track progress in escaping poverty but also help safeguard against future setbacks, ensuring people remain secure and resilient in the face of unexpected emergencies.
UNDP analysis across 126 developing countries finds that more than one-third of people in developing countries live below their prosperity floor. This means these individuals remain vulnerable, with a single crisis threatening to push them back into poverty.
The report cautions that relying solely on traditional poverty alleviation policies, such as cash transfers and cash-for-work programmes, will not sustain progress. Instead, UNDP urges governments to adopt a system-wide strategy that fosters job inclusive growth, adaptable social protection, and fairer income distribution to leave no one behind.
Across every region, progress on poverty reduction has slowed, and disparities have deepened. While the share of people living in extreme income poverty has fallen globally, nearly 1.1bn people still experience acute multidimensional poverty, lacking access to education, health, and decent living standards.
Two-thirds of the world's population live in countries where income inequality has increased over the past decade. Poverty is increasingly concentrated in fragile and conflict-affected settings, and the effects of climate change and demographic pressures are compounding these vulnerabilities.

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