It has been reported that military escalation in the Middle East has increased poverty in Iran and Lebanon, reversing years of development gains in a short period.
Modern.az reports that Francine Pickup, a representative of the Policy and Programs Bureau of the UN Development Program (UNDP), said this during a discussion titled “The Middle East Crisis and its Impacts on Global Housing and Urban Development” within the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku.
She stated that Iran and Lebanon are among the countries most affected by the crisis, but its effects are not limited to those states:
“We see the ripple effects of this crisis across the Middle East, Arab countries, and the Asia-Pacific region. It is important to assess and understand the situation at the community level. But the main issue is to move from assessment to practical steps. The main message of the UN is that decades of human development indicators are being destroyed in a matter of weeks.”
According to the UNDP official, even if a lasting ceasefire is achieved soon, the socio-economic impacts will be felt for a long time:
“Iran was already under severe economic pressure due to sanctions, high inflation, and reduced purchasing power. Military escalation has further deepened these problems. Our latest analyses show that the poverty rate in Iran has increased from 36 percent to 41.5 percent. This means that 5.1 million people have been pushed into poverty. Approximately one and a half years of development achievements have been reversed.”
