Poverty has always been a phenomenon of society. As we measure and eradicate poverty to improve the well-being of people, we begin to understand its complexities and multiple dimensions that can weaken or make ineffective public policy aimed at tackling poverty. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 aims to end extreme poverty globally by 2030, currently measured as people living on less than $ 1.25 USD a day. SDG 1.2 recognizes, however, that poverty is multidimensional and cannot be necessarily measured, and therefore cannot be eradicated, by defining extreme poverty with this metric.
At a side event of the UN General Assembly, Member State representatives and poverty experts spoke of the need to implement global and national multidimensional poverty indexes (MPIs) for better poverty policies. At UN Headquarters in New York on September 22, Member States shared their best practices in tackling multidimensional poverty by using this tool to benchmark, monitor and evaluate poverty reduction efforts.
The many dimensions of poverty are intersectional and ever-changing. Marginalised people living in poverty also face hunger, poor sanitation, poor education and limited access to services. Some may not even be identified because they lack registration records or identification. MPIs are governance and management tools that can account for all of the variables that contribute to poverty. MPIs can be used for low-income and high-income countries and global MPI can better compare poverty conditions across countries and help countries share best policy practices for poverty eradication. The tool helps to identify which people are most vulnerable and what kind of help they need.
Ana Garcia Carias, First Lady of Honduras, shared her country’s experience using a national MPI. The Honduran MPI accounts for access to healthcare, housing, education and income in measuring poverty. With a MPI, the Honduran government was able to find the main causes of poverty in poorly delivered social security programmes, unemployment and poor education. The MPI was also able to identify those at risk of falling into poverty if a crisis or disaster were to occur. This robust methodological tool means that policymakers are able to identify the magnitude and complexity of poverty for better social policies. Targeted interventions for vulnerable groups include cheaper access to building materials, access to clean water, soft credit and agricultural support. These have has helped reduce poverty significantly since the MPI was established as part of Honduras’ national plan.
Juan Carlos Mendoza, Costa Rica’s Ambassador to the UN, spoke on sharing MPI data to collaborate with the private sector and civil society to enable Corporate Social Responsibility in Public-Private Partnerships. Setting benchmarks and target groups for poverty reduction with the private sector and civil society allows them to also work for the SDGs. Costa Rica’s national MPI can be used by public and private sectors to harmonise budgeting and policy, pinpointing where poverty is most severe and implementing programmes effectively.
In a country classified as high-income like Seychelles, there is still poverty in various dimensions. MPIs have been effective tools for identifying where poverty exists in the country and is incredibly useful at identifying those at risk of falling into poverty as the Seychelles islands become more exposed to destructive climate change.
MPIs are being slowly being adopted globally, and are promising as an effective tool for ending poverty. The side event was hosted by the Government of South Africa on behalf of the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN). The event was held with support from the Government of Seychelles and the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
Learn more about DSPDs work on poverty eradication at social.un.org/poverty.
Source & Copyright: UNDESA DSPD