Thirty years ago today, on December 18, 1995 (October 27, 1995, the Lunar Calendar), the United Nations declared 1996 the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. On December 18, 1995, the United Nations held a special meeting to officially declare 1996 the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty to promote global action to eradicate poverty in the shortest possible time. United Nations Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali delivered a keynote speech, calling on governments and people of all countries to take action to declare war on poverty. Ghali said that currently, 1.3 billion people around the world live on less than $1 a day. In the past five years, the number of people living in poverty around the world has increased by 300 million. Ghali said poverty is the main cause of violent crime, moral conflict and social disorder. Another reason why poverty needs to be eradicated is that poverty hinders the development of democracy. Democracy is based on equality. It gives every citizen the same ability to participate in politics, but poverty deprives this ability. Ghali called on all countries to formulate a strategic plan to eradicate poverty in 1996. He said that the campaign to eradicate poverty is related to all sectors of society, and everyone has the responsibility to support this common goal. Designating 1996 as the "International Year for the Eradication of Poverty" was a decision made at the United Nations World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in March 1995. At this meeting, leaders and representatives of more than 180 countries expressed in the joint "Declaration" and "Plan of Action" and other documents that they would use decisive national actions and international cooperation to achieve the goal of eradicating world poverty, and promised to eradicate poverty, Increase employment and promote social integration goals are among the top priorities at present and in the 21st century to ensure the well-being of all mankind. Poverty is a worldwide problem. In the past 50 years, world wealth has increased sevenfold, but the problem of poverty around the world has also become increasingly prominent. According to United Nations statistics, there are currently 1.3 billion poor people in the world, an increase of 300 million from five years ago; more than 1 billion people lack basic living conditions such as safe drinking water; about 18 million people die every year from hunger, malnutrition and other poverty-related causes far exceed deaths caused by war; more than 3 million people die every year from preventable diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria. Poverty is particularly serious in the third world. South Asia is home to one-third of the world's population, but half of the people are poor. About half of Africa's 630 million people are struggling with the hunger line. Nearly 200 million people in Latin America live below the poverty line, accounting for more than 1/3 of the total population of Latin America. The number of least developed countries in the world has increased from 29 in 1974 to 48 in 1994. The gap between the rich and the poor in developed countries is becoming increasingly serious, and the number of poor people is also on the rise. 15% of the people in developed countries such as the United States and Western Europe live below the poverty line.