According to the 1997 annual report of the United Nations Development and Planning Administration, one quarter of the earth's population is living in extreme poverty, with women, children and the elderly often facing the harshest conditions.
「全球約有四分之一的人口，生活在極度貧窮的狀態。婦孺及老年人的處境往往比其他人更惡劣，全球營養不良的兒童合計約一億六千萬。」聯合國開發計畫署於一九九七年年度報告中指出。