A/RES/71/241 Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008–2017) order to achieve sustainable development and significantly enhance economic growth and productivity, and reaffirming also that gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls will make a crucial contribution to progress in realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and are critical factors in the eradication of poverty, Recognizing that eight years after the financial crisis the global economy is still facing subdued growth and aggregate demand, income inequality and fina ncial fragility, that trade has grown still more slowly, that, although interest rates are now beginning to rise, capital flows are again becoming volatile, that, notwithstanding the impact of the financial crisis, financial flows and developing countries’ share in world trade have continued to increase, that these advances have contributed towards a substantial reduction in the number of people living in extreme poverty, and that, despite these gains, many countries, particularly developing countries, stil l face considerable challenges and some have fallen further behind, Reaffirming that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, that its adverse impacts undermine the ability of all countries to achieve sustainable development, that increases in global temperature, sea level rise, ocean acidification and other climate change impacts are seriously affecting coastal areas and low -lying coastal countries, including many least developed countries and small island developing States, and that the survival of many societies and of the biological support systems of the planet are at risk, which further threaten food security and efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development, and thus require urgent action to maintain, preserve and sustain the development gains achieved in the past decades, Welcoming the Paris Agreement 12 and its early entry into force, encouraging all its parties to fully implement the Agreement, and parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 13 that have not yet done so to deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, where appropriate, as soon as possible, Concerned that, while the end of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008–2017) is approaching and recognizing that there has been progress in reducing poverty, the progress remains uneven, with the number of people living in poverty in its different forms and dimensions continuing to be at a significant level and levels of inequality in income, wealth and opportunities remaining high or widening in a number of countries, Recognizing that rates of economic growth vary among countries and that these differences must be addressed by, among other actions, promoting pro -poor growth and social protection, Urging all countries that have not yet done so to ratify and accede to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, 14 encouraging parties to review its implementation, committing to making the Convention an effective instrument to deter, detect, prevent and counter corruption and bribery, prosecute those involved in corrupt activities, and recover and return stolen assets to their country of origin, as appropriate, encouraging the international community to develop good practices _______________ 12 See FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21, annex. United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1771, No. 30822. 14 Ibid., vol. 2349, No. 42146. 13 4/14