2023-07-25-UNDP-不作为的人力成本_贫困_社会保护和偿债_2020-2023年_15页_598kb

Summary

The report highlights that 25 developing economies spent over 20% of their government revenues in 2022 on external debt servicing, a record high since 2000. Low-income countries (LICs) devote double to triple the share of revenue compared to high-income countries (HICs) to interest payments, diverting resources from health, education, and social protection. Between 2020 and 2023, 165 million people fell into poverty due to “polycrisis” economic shocks, with low- and lower-middle-income countries bearing the brunt.

The report calls for linking “debt pauses” to “poverty pauses,” arguing that halting debt payments could free resources to mitigate poverty and invest in sustainable development. Simulations show that reducing poverty through targeted social protection could cost $14.24 billion annually (or 0.009% of global GDP). However, the cumulative effect of prior poverty and debt burdens necessitates larger investments, estimated at $107.11 billion.

Key findings include:

• LICs spend 2.3 times more on interest than social assistance, compared to HICs.
• Global poverty increased by 165 million due to shocks, with low- and lower-middle-income countries accounting for 90%.
• Debt servicing impedes SDG progress and fiscal space for essential investments.

The report concludes with an urgent need for macro-level debt restructuring to enable effective social protection and poverty mitigation, advocating for automatic triggers in response to shocks.