Ending poverty continues to be a major challenge for the global community. It is even more urgent and relevant today when the world is facing the covid-19 pandemic as it was two decades ago, when four women rose to prominent positions as ministers in charge of international development in their governments. Ending Global Poverty: Four Women's Noble Conspiracy tells the story of Eveline Herfkens from the Netherlands, Hilde F. Johnson from Norway, Clare Short from the United Kingdom, and Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul from Germany who joined forces to challenge the establishment policies of international institutions.

Named for the Norwegian Abbey where the formalized their collaboration in 1999, the so-called Utstein Four embarked on a 'conspiracy of implementation', using foreign aid as a tool to end global poverty, rather than pursue narrow political or commercial interests. They helped achieve primary education for women, used developing countries' debt relief to lift individuals out of poverty, and put development partners in charge of setting priorities and implementing programs of assistance. Their story of female empowerment and the importance of working together is a crucial lesson, and Ending Global Poverty focuses on the implications of this for today's development challenges, including the struggle to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals which is becoming more difficult every day.

The Utstein Four's collaboration lasted for only about half a dozen years but their influence continues to be felt. Much has been achieved but some lessons have been forgotten and large new challenges remain.Ending Global Poverty: Four Women's Nobel Conspiracy considers the lasting legacy of the Utstein group and the lessons that their experience of commitment, collaboration and leadership offers to a new generation of leaders as they work to eradicate global poverty and achieve sustainable development.

About the Author:
Constantine Michalopoulos has worked on and written about economic development and poverty eradication for more than half a century. In 1982-2001 he was a senior official at the World Bank where he served as Director for Economic Policy and Coordination and Senior Economic Advisor for Europe and Central Asia. Before that he was Chief Economist of the US Agency for International Development. In 1997-1999 he served as Special Advisor at the WTO. Following his retirement from the World Bank he was a development consultant to governments and international organizations such as the World Bank, the IMF, UNCTAD, the EU Commission, GTZ (the German technical assistance agency) and DfID. He also taught economics at several US universities, including American University and Johns Hopkins University. Most recently he was appointed Senior Policy Advisor at ELIAMEP a think tank in his native Athens. He is the author of Aid, Trade, and Development (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) amongst others.