Ending extreme poverty in all its forms is a fi tting fi rst goal
for a catalog whose eventual purpose is to improve people’s
lives. The absence of poverty is the very condition upon which
other goals can be built, such as making cities and human
settlements inclusive and safe, or promoting peaceful societies.
The primary focus of policy should always be those in the most
desperate need.
Of course, poverty in OECD nations is of a very different
nature to the poverty of, for instance, Sub-Saharan Africa.
Countries with such immense fi nancial resources as the ones
listed here should, however, make sure that they govern their
own societies in a way that allows everybody to take part in
the wealth that is created. They are increasingly failing at this
task, though, with income inequality in OECD countries now