Ideals versus realities of world poverty and human rights

The purpose of this paper is to reflect back on, and respond again to, the 2005 Ethics and International Affairs symposium entitled “World Poverty and Human Rights.” The paper identifies and further explores the ideals of combatting poverty versus the realities of poverty as we move into the final ten years of the Sustainable Development Goals. The paper focusses on a moral and philosophical approach to poverty and the ideals versus the realities. It explores the three challenges posed by nation‐states and borders, international interactions, and global institutions, which continue to challenge any semblance of justice in the current economic distribution of wealth. This realisation leads to a profound recognition of a prolonged need for justice when we reflect back on the papers presented at the 2005 symposium.