Accelerating poverty reduction through global public goods

Policy making needs to change so that we do not endlessly forget about the poor. How can we anchor concerns for ending poverty in governance systems, both nationally and internationally? This chapter outlines how providing global public goods (GPGs) – such as peace, a stable climate and freedom from communicable diseases – can contribute to ending poverty. The author argues that a focus on GPGs can strengthen people’s resilience to economic, climate and other shocks help tap the opportunities presented by freely and universally available information and technology ensure the public nature not only of consumption of GPGs, but also of their use and decision making about them and build fairness into the international decision-making architecture. The author outlines some specific steps for achieving this, such as fitting GPGs into national and international governance systems twinning GPGs and poverty concerns refurbishing the toolbox of international co‑operation and instilling smart sovereignty based on the recognition that fair – and poverty-focused – international co-operation is both a solution to many global challenges and the best way of meeting a country’s own, national interests.