interesting connections

[chris macrae]

16. Gyan Chandra Acharya

Flickr: itupictures

Another veteran diplomat working with the United Nations, Nepal’s Acharya is the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. His focus is entirely on the nations where extreme poverty is most common, and part of his role is to advocate on behalf of these nations to ensure that their interests are represented fairly at the UN level.

17. Amina J. Mohammed

Flickr: World Economic Forum

When Ban Ki-moon checks in on the post-2015 development planning process, his Special Advisor is Nigerian Amina J. Mohammed. Formerly an adviser to the Nigerian President on the Millennium Development Goals, Mohammed is now tasked with being the link between the top brass at the UN, and the task team that is creating the next set of goals for international development, which will take us through to 2030.

18. Andris Piebalgs

Flickr: European Commission DG ECHO

After decades spent as a teacher, headmaster, education ministry director, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in Latvia, Piebalgs switched to working with the European Union on international issues. He is currently the European Commissioner for Development, a broad position which includes overseeing EuropeAid, the new regional aid program run by the EU. The European Union is a major aid donor on a global level, and supplies many of the resources in the battle against extreme poverty.

19. Julia Gillard

Flickr: Liam Mendes

Australia and New Zealand are age-old rivals. So when New Zealand’s former Prime Minister went and took up a global position to battle extreme poverty, Australia did the same. Julia Gillard is the head of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), an independent, multilateral fund that is dedicated to getting kids in developing countries into school. Recent funding commitments by major donors such as the UK, US, and Australia gives GPE the opportunity to get millions more kids into school in the next few years.

20. Michel Sidibé

Flickr: GovermentZA

A UN career man from Mali, Sidibé is currently the Executive Director of UNAIDS, the United Nations body dedicated to reducing the prevalence of AIDS globally, and improving the lives of people living with AIDS. The parts of the world with the highest incidences of AIDS tend to also be home to large numbers of people living in extreme poverty, so the work of Sidibé and his team to improve health and wellbeing in these nations has significant capacity to reduce extreme poverty.

21. Seth Berkley

Flickr: The Aspen Institute

American doctor Seth Berkley has has a long involvement with viruses (virii?) and vaccinations, and he is now the CEO of the GAVI Alliance, a major organisation that accepts funding from governments and private donors worldwide, and uses it to ensure that people around the world receive vaccinations against preventable diseases such as polio, hepatitis B, tetanus, and others. By protecting those living in extreme poverty from preventable illnesses, it makes them better able to learn, work, and achieve.

22. Hugh Evans

Flickr: World Bank Photo Collection

As the CEO of the Global Poverty Project, Evans and his organisation are engaged in an advocacy campaign to highlight the importance of ending extreme poverty, and building a movement of people worldwide who will hold their governments to account. In addition to general campaigning, the Global Poverty Project holds an annual festival in New York City’s Central Park, which brings together world leaders, musicians, and 60,000 people to highlight the issues, commit to further action, and celebrate progress.

23. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

Flickr: UN Women

The former Deputy President of South Africa, Mlambo-Ngcuka is now the Executive Director of UN Women. Unsurprisingly given the name, UN Women is a United Nations body dedicated to improving the lives of women, who are disproportionately affected by poverty, lack of access to education, and lack of access to reproductive health services. The progress that Mlambo-Ngcuka and her colleagues make has a direct impact on those living in extreme poverty.

24. Anthony Lake

Flickr: World Bank Photo Collection

After decades as a foreign policy adviser in the United States, Lake is now the Executive Director of UNICEF, the UN organisation that is all about the kids. As one of the UN’s biggest bodies, UNICEF provides long-term humanitarian and development assistance to children and mothers in developing countries. Lake and UNICEF work together with many of the other people on this list to boost the prospects of earth’s newest citizens.

25. Babatunde Osotimehin

Flickr: The Advocacy Project

Another Nigerian, which is a good thing, considering that Nigeria is rocketing up the list of the world’s most populated nations. Osotimehin was formerly Nigeria’s Health Minister, and is currently in charge of the United Nations Population Fund, a UN body whose main job is to gather worldwide data on health, wellbeing, and population. Good quality data is vital if we want to understand exactly what our challenges are in ending extreme poverty. Without accurate data, it’s mighty hard for governments, NGOs, and international bodies to select the right policy responses.

26. Margaret Chan

Flickr: Robert Scoble

Most people care about their own health, but Chan cares about yours, too. As the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, this Hong Kong native and her team work to combat outbreaks of infectious diseases, monitor food and nutrition worldwide, and more recently have been battling the rise of obesity and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The WHO’s work is especially important during emergencies such as the current ebola outbreak in West Africa, which is threatening to send large numbers of people further into poverty.

27. Graça Machel

Flickr: Gates Foundation

While Machel is the only person in history to have been first lady of two separate republics (South Africa and Mozambique, if you were wondering), she belongs in this list because of her work with The Elders, a collective of veteran world leaders who contribute policy advice to public bodies, and work on some of the world’s toughest problems, such as climate change, HIV/AIDS, and extreme poverty. Machel’s work as a human rights advocate, particularly on child marriage, is helping to generate change in poor communities.

28. José Mujica

Flickr: US Department of Agriculture

Former freedom fighter Mujica became the Uruguayan President in 2010, but there’s something about him that makes him different. He is referred to as “the world’s poorest president”, due to his preference for a humble lifestyle. He donates more than 90% of his monthly salary to charities that benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs. The money is of course happily accepted by the recipients, but Mujica’s bigger impact is to set an example for others, both in Uruguay and overseas.

29. Michael Elliott

Flickr: World Economic Forum

Elliot is a journalist by trade, having worked at TIME, The Economist, and others. Now he’s the President and CEO of ONE, a global campaigning and advocacy organisation that is dedicated to fighting extreme poverty. With Bono as a co-founder, and the support of many of the world’s largest NGOs, Elliot’s organisation serves to bring together supporters behind a common cause, and be a powerful voice for change.

30. Justine Greening

Flickr: DFID UK Department for International Development

UK politician Greening is currently the country’s Secretary of State for International Development, which means that her recommendations inform the aid and development policies of this major aid donor. As leading contributors to abovementioned programs such as GAVI and GPE, the funding decisions of Greening’s team have a big say in the ways in which extreme poverty is combated worldwide.

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Michael Wilson