The Rest Is Money 209. Why We Can’t Abandon The World’s Poor
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Sep 21, 2025 
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime Minister of Denmark and ex-CEO of Save the Children, discusses the urgent need to combat global poverty despite daunting challenges. She emphasizes the importance of hope, focusing on the alarming 20% progress towards Sustainable Development Goals. The conversation highlights Africa’s entrenched poverty due to conflict and inequality, alongside geopolitics affecting aid. Thorning-Schmidt shares innovative debt relief strategies, aiming to balance accountability while supporting the world's poorest nations.
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Progress Exists But We're Off Track
- Global progress on poverty exists but progress has stalled with only 20% of SDG targets on track five years out from 2030.
- Helle Thorning-Schmidt argues hope is essential to invent new solutions and sustain action.
Poverty Fell But Is Reversible
- Poverty has fallen sharply in one generation, from one in three to less than one in ten.
- Helle highlights that many recent setbacks are man-made and therefore changeable by human action.
War Undermines Development
- War and internal conflict are the main drivers of hunger, interrupted schooling, and refugee flows.
- She links modern conflict styles to the collapse of health and education delivery in affected countries.