The twenty-first century has been a remarkable era for emerging nations. It is bound with success stories: the rise of China, sociopolitical upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East, and the resiliency of integrated economies – such as South Africa and Brazil – when faced with the shocks of the 2008 financial crisis. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in their own respect, were not spared from the ups and downs of the previous years. While some achievements have been a success – such as a decrease in the number of people living in extreme poverty as highlighted in Chapter Three – other areas have been less successful. For that reason, a post-2015 extension of the program was required.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and resulting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2016. These seventeen ambitious SDGs support the elimination of poverty and address the underlying and interrelated issues that have an impact on global development efforts.

This book has argued that the Post-2015 Development Agenda must focus more attention on the role of women and gender rights if the targets outlined in MDG 3 are to be achieved. In addition, it must take a new and more complex set of challenges into account that, if not addressed properly, can undermine the objectives of the programme. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has incorporated a strategy for the various challenges and competing interests that have hindered development efforts previously. The SDG of achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls is one example (UN, 2015).

Interestingly, many of those affected by extreme poverty will soon be found in war-torn and fragile states as demonstrated in Chapter Three – sub-Saharan Africa in particular. Addressing poverty in environments where good governance and commitment from international institutions and foreign donors have declined will be a question of interest that needs to be tackled. In these situations, international financial assistance and reform of the financial system will not be adequate on their own. Preconditions and special requirements need to be established before traditional financial approaches – such as revitalisation of the rule of law, good governance and an end to conflict.