Inconvenient Data

It is difficult to describe data as inherently inconvenient. They are simply facts and figures, expressed in numbers, percentages or dry descriptions. What can be uncomfortable, however, is how we respond to them. When confronted with something unpleasant, we generally have two choices: we can try to change the situation or put it out of our minds, as though it did not exist.

The figures on hunger, poverty and the lack of life's most basic necessities are deeply troubling. We would rather they did not exist at all. But they do. Behind every number are people, their life stories, their hardships and, all too often, their suffering.

Hunger

According to the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 645 million people worldwide experienced hunger in 2025, representing 7.8 per cent of the global population. An even larger number, about 2.1 billion people, experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, meaning they lacked reliable access to sufficient, nutritious food. (FAO, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026)

Poverty

According to World Bank data from October 2026, approximately 811 million people live in extreme poverty. That is roughly one in ten people worldwide. Their daily consumption is less than $3.00 in international dollars, adjusted for purchasing power parity to account for differences in the cost of living between countries.

Yet poverty is far more widespread. As many as 3.7 billion people, nearly half the world's population, live on less than $8.30 a day, the poverty threshold used for upper-middle-income countries. (World Bank, Poverty, Prosperity, and Planet Report 2026)

Drinking Water

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, approximately 2.1 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water in 2024. Among them, 106 million people relied directly on surface water from rivers, lakes and other unprotected sources for drinking. (WHO and UNICEF, Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2000–2024)

Sanitation and Hygiene

In 2024, approximately 3.4 billion people lacked access to safely managed sanitation, meaning they did not have access to adequate toilet facilities and the safe management of human waste. (WHO and UNICEF, Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2000–2024)

Healthcare

According to a December 2025 report by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, approximately 4.6 billion people lacked full access to essential health services in 2023. (WHO and World Bank, Tracking Universal Health Coverage, 2025)

Education

According to a March 2026 report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), approximately 273 million children and young people were out of school in 2024. That is roughly one in six children and young people of school age. (UNESCO, Global Education Monitoring Report 2026)

Adequate Housing

According to the 2026 report by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), up to 3.4 billion people lack access to safe and adequate housing. More than 1.1 billion people live in informal settlements and slums, often in overcrowded homes without adequate infrastructure and basic services. (UN-Habitat, World Cities Report 2026)

From Facts to Action

Of course, statistics cannot fully capture how people live around the world. Some lack several basic necessities at once, while others may lack only one. Yet each such deprivation can be tragic in itself. And this is without mentioning the many others who may not fall into any of these categories but are nevertheless denied the opportunity to live a decent life.

The question, then, is not simply how many people suffer from deprivation, but above all, what we are going to do about them. Will we accept them as an inevitable fact of the modern world, or will we see them as a call for change?

Will we finally recognise that things cannot go on like this? We cannot speak of progress when so many people have almost nothing. Nor can we speak of our own humanity while allowing such inhumanity to persist.

Why do we fail to recognise that these problems can only be solved through a fairer sharing of resources and greater cooperation? The world will not become a better place simply because we have electric cars, the latest mobile phones or robots. It will become a better place when no one has to suffer from a lack of life's most basic necessities.

That is why the sharing economy offers such a simple yet achievable path towards a better future.

The Foundations of the Sharing Economy

Let us explore some fundamental ideas that can help us better understand the sharing economy.

We all live on one planet, which means that we inherently share a common environment and its natural resources. Natural resources are humanity's common heritage, or the commons of humankind. No one, therefore, should have exclusive rights to use these resources in ways that prevent others from meeting their basic needs. Everyone has the right to a fair share of the natural resources that make human survival and development possible. These resources form the foundation for producing the goods that enable us to meet human needs and live a decent life.

We all belong to one biological species, Homo sapiens (meaning "wise human"), and can therefore speak of one humanity, or one great human family. Despite differences in appearance, language, culture, and ways of life, we are also remarkably similar genetically. Our membership in a common human family therefore calls on us to show mutual solidarity and care for everyone's well-being. No one should be deprived of the goods needed to meet basic human needs.

All human beings have the same basic needs. To live a decent life, we need food and drinking water, clothing and housing, healthcare and social protection, and education. These are fundamental to our survival and development. Meeting these needs must therefore not be a privilege but must be guaranteed to everyone, as set out in Articles 25 and 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The economic system's task is to transform natural and social resources into goods that meet human needs. Beyond extracting resources and producing goods, the economic system also encompasses their distribution and allocation, which determine who has access to these goods and to what extent. Society, particularly its political institutions, has a responsibility to establish an economic system that ensures everyone has access to the goods needed to meet their basic needs.

As individuals, we share responsibility for how both political and economic systems function. By voting, participating in public discussions, and engaging in other forms of civic activity, we help shape political decisions and, consequently, economic decisions. At the same time, as employees, producers, consumers, and other participants in the economic system, we influence its direction and development. Our responsibility, however, does not end with concern for our own well-being or that of our community and country. As members of one human family, we also share responsibility for ensuring that all people, wherever they live, have the opportunity to meet their basic needs and live a decent life.

When relentless competition, selfishness, greed, and the unlimited accumulation of goods and wealth dominate society, we create conditions that contribute to hunger, poverty, conflict, forced migration, and climate change. But when we act on the principles of cooperation, solidarity, compassion, and the sharing of goods, we create conditions for prosperity for all, mutual trust, genuine and sustainable development, and peace.

The sharing economy is an economic system based on cooperation, solidarity, compassion, and the sharing of goods. We have the political and economic power to establish such a system, one that benefits everyone. We do not all need the same amount of goods, but everyone must have access to enough to meet their basic human needs. In this way, we will put into practice a simple truth: we are all part of one human family, sharing a common home, the Earth.

An Organisation That Represents and Speaks for the Human Family

On 24 October, we celebrate United Nations Day. On this day in 1945, the UN Charter entered into force, officially bringing the organisation into existence. The United Nations was born out of the terrible experience of two world wars and the hope that, by working together, countries could spare future generations similar suffering. Eighty-one years later, the question remains: how far have we fulfilled that promise? United Nations Day is also an opportunity to reflect on a world where peace, human dignity, and access to necessities are still not guaranteed for everyone.

Can you imagine the blue flags of the United Nations, bearing its emblem of the Earth, flying on 24 October from flagpoles outside government buildings, along streets, from apartment balconies and from the windows of homes? Newspapers, television channels, and online media would report on the organisation, while schools would dedicate the day to the values the UN symbolises: peace, cooperation, friendship, and mutual assistance. National, international and local celebrations would take place. Speakers would highlight the importance of the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other significant documents. We would sing songs from different nations, perform dances from around the world, and discover the richness of our cultures and what unites us. It would be a true celebration of humanity.

Why not? Why do we still hold borders between countries in such reverence? They are not unimportant; they mark the administrative boundaries between states. But why not see the Earth as a whole – as it appears from space? Why not see all people as members of one human family, and all nations as the united nations of humanity?

Then we could give the United Nations the mandate it deserves: to coordinate global cooperation, ensure the well-being of everyone on Earth, preserve peace, and collectively care for the environment. We would still be Slovenians, Croatians, Germans, Italians, Cubans, Chinese, Russians, Brazilians, Kenyans, Malaysians, Australians, Spaniards, Ukrainians and so on. But first and foremost, we are people of the Earth – members of one human family sharing a common planet.

We can share the planet’s resources, which belong to everyone, along with knowledge and technologies that can benefit us all. In this way, we can embark on a path of true development that benefits both humanity and the other beings with whom we share this beautiful planet.

Happy United Nations Day, my brothers and sisters!




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Food and Poverty

Every year, when we talk about poverty and its most extreme form—hunger—we should feel ashamed—ashamed that we allow this state of affairs to continue. Today, 645 million people face hunger, even though we know there is enough food for everyone. It seems as though this has nothing to do with us. But it does. The world is interconnected, and other people’s suffering affects us in ways we may not even realise. We are not an island in the middle of the ocean. But even if we were, the ocean would remind us of its presence, one way or another.

On 16 October, we mark World Food Day, followed a day later by the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. On these days, let us reflect on the profoundly unjust world we live in. Can we imagine what hunger really means? What does it mean to be unable to provide your own child with a decent meal?

Access to food and drinking water, their distribution, and poverty are closely interconnected issues. Food, drinking water, a safe home, healthcare and education meet basic human needs and form the foundation of a dignified life. As long as a large part of humanity lives in extreme poverty and faces hunger, inadequate housing and limited access to healthcare and education, the world will remain troubled, unsafe and scarred by conflict. Without addressing these injustices, we will struggle to tackle environmental problems effectively, address the causes of forced migration and secure lasting peace.

This year’s World Food Day theme is “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow.” The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) emphasises the importance of combining new solutions with traditional knowledge and community participation. As it points out: “The world already produces enough food to nourish everyone”. Yet 645 million people still face hunger. The central challenge, therefore, is ensuring everyone has access to nutritious food while safeguarding natural resources for future generations.

This year, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty focuses on “Safe Homes for All”, under the broader theme “United for Peace and Human Rights”. A safe, affordable home is the foundation of a dignified life and makes it easier to access healthcare, education, and employment. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed in his 2025 message: “Poverty is not a personal failure; it is a systemic failure – a denial of dignity and human rights.” Both days thus remind us of our shared responsibility to build a world in which everyone can meet their basic needs and live with dignity.

There Is Enough Food

If the world already produces enough food for everyone, what are we doing wrong? Food undoubtedly plays a central role in meeting basic human needs. Why, then, are so many people hungry? We have cutting-edge technologies and extraordinary transport capabilities—we can have fresh fruit from thousands of kilometres away on our plates almost the very next day. Why, then, do we allow so much suffering, such a dark stain on humanity's “soul”? Do we really not care about our brothers and sisters—our fellow human beings, with whom we share this beautiful planet as one family?

Can we not see the simplest solution: ensuring a fairer sharing of the world’s resources? We can build the sharing economy on this principle. The starting point is simple: ensure food reaches the people who need it. We can redirect surpluses to where they are urgently needed, rather than throw them away. At the same time, we must create conditions in which everyone has reliable access to food and other necessities.

As we mark World Food Day and the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, let us reflect on this and take steps in the right direction. Ending hunger and poverty is not impossible—the first step is to recognise that it is possible.