Global poverty and the United Nations

The impact of poverty on consumers' lives has received considerable attenti on in the public policy and marketing literature, but primarily from the pe rspective of the United States. The purpose of this article is to examine g lobal poverty using the multidimensional position advanced by the United Na tions (UN). The authors provide a discussion of the history of the UN, from its founding during World War II to the present, with an emphasis on the r esolutions, declarations, and conventions that guide its focus on poverty. Then, the authors present UN data on human development to create an underst anding of the magnitude and dimensions of poverty worldwide. They close wit h recommendations for a specific research agenda for public policy and mark eting scholars.