( CNN ) -- In two weeks , economic policymakers from around the world will gather in Washington , D.C. , for the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings . As has been the case for the past five years , there will be much talk of economic crisis and of strategies to restore confidence , kick start growth , and create jobs . There is growing evidence that we are on the right track , but this agenda still requires much more work . The meetings , though , also offer an occasion to look beyond the short term crisis-fighting measures . It is a chance for leaders to adopt a long-term perspective and assess where we stand and where we are headed . If they do , they will see that today we are at a moment of historic opportunity . For the end of absolute poverty , a dream which has enticed and driven humanity for centuries , is now within our grasp . READ MORE : Bono on how to fight poverty . In recent decades the world has made impressive progress in the fight against poverty , a fact too often lost in the headlines of immediate crisis conditions . On the strength of robust private sector growth underpinned by improved economic governance , today extreme poverty is in retreat across the developing world . In 1990 , 43 % of the developing world lived on less than $ 1.25 a day . The World Bank estimates that by 2010 this figure had dropped to 21 % . The first Millennium Development Goal , to halve extreme poverty , was achieved five years ahead of time . As we look forward , while we of course can not take high growth for granted , the conditions are in place for this strong performance to continue . Indeed , the successes of past decades and an increasingly favorable economic outlook combine to give developing countries a chance -- for the first time ever -- to end extreme poverty within a generation . Our collective duty now must be to ensure that these favorable circumstances are matched with deliberate decisions to realize this remarkable opportunity . READ MORE : Is Africa much richer than we think ? No one knows . The world can end extreme poverty by 2030 . This feasible but ambitious goal should bring unity , urgency , and energy to our collective efforts in the fight against poverty . Meeting this deadline will require strong , stable growth across the developing world , especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia . It will require policies to enhance inclusiveness and prevent increases in inequality , and ensure that growth translates into poverty reduction , most importantly through creating jobs . It will require transformational changes in fragile states , which are home to an increasing share of the world 's poor . And it will require that potential shocks , such as climatic disasters or new fuel , food , or financial crises , are averted or mitigated . It will not be easy , and will demand concerted global action from governments , donors , civil society , and the private sector . But is there anyone , anywhere , who doubts that the reward will be worth it ? READ MORE : Study shows speed of global warming . Of course progress toward ending poverty will need to be sustained over time and for all future generations . We must promote shared prosperity , helping vulnerable people so that they will not fall back into poverty . And , crucially unless the world takes bold action now , a disastrously warming planet threatens to reverse past advances . Climate change is not just an environmental challenge : It is a fundamental threat to economic development and the fight against poverty . At the World Bank Group we have no pretence that we will be the key actor in ending poverty . Progress toward this goal , as it always has , will continue to depend primarily on the actions of developing countries . But we will be there to help . We will work with our partners to share knowledge on solutions to end poverty . We will closely monitor and observe progress toward this goal , reporting annually on what has been achieved and where gaps remain . And we will use our convening and advocacy power to continually remind policymakers and the international community what is at stake . By acting today , there is an opportunity to create a world for our children which is defined not by stark inequities but by soaring opportunities . We can and must achieve a world free of poverty . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jim Yong Kim .
Economic policymakers are preparing to gather in D.C. , Washington , for the World Bank -IMF Spring Meetings . President of the World Bank Group argues strategies to kick start growth are on the right track , but need more work . Jim Yong Kim says the world is at a moment of historic opportunity to end global absolute poverty . He says this goal is ambitious but can be achieved by recent decades , if there is strong and stable growth across the world .