Austerity was projected to impact 6.7 billion people in 2023 or 85 percent of humanity and the population most likely to be hit exceptionally hard is East Asia and the Pacific, and South Asia. Throughout decades, austerity has done nothing but increase poverty and inequality and exacerbate insecurities related to food, jobs, education, and reduced safety nets. It has also raised additional barriers that restrict marginalized groups, including women, children, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples and refugees from accessing essential services. To promote a just and sustainable system, there is a need to examine these austerity measures and its impacts on the Asia Pacific region and its people, as well as to identify and highlight people-centered alternatives that will benefit the most marginalized in society. Demanding system change requires confronting actors involved and pushing for policy reforms that will forward a people-centered, rights-based, and climate-resilient development.
