Colombia hosts workshop on multidimensional poverty measurement for participants from Latin America

The Department for National Prosperity (DPS) of the Government of Colombia, the Inter-American Social Protection Network (IASPN), and OPHI co-organised a three-day workshop to explore Colombia’s experience with multidimensional poverty measurement and how it impacts social policy in the country.

OPHI Researcher Officers Gisela Robles Aguilar, Diego Zavaleta and Mauricio Apablaza participated in the workshop which was held in Bogota between September 17 – 19. It was attended by representatives of countries exploring national multidimensional poverty indices in the region, including Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The workshop included academic sessions on public policy applications of the index and statistical methods for calculating it, and a field visit to the town of Fusagasugá to visit families that have benefited from the ‘Red Unidos’ [United Network] social protection program. Beneficiaries of this program are identified and targeted through Colombia’s Multidimensional Poverty Index.

The objective of the workshop was for countries to share their experiences with other professional technicians and policy makers from Latin American countries regarding the construction of a multidimensional poverty index and the construction of a national application (based on the experience of Colombia).

Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Uruguay and Organizacion de los Estados Americanos (OEA Organisation of the American States) are members of the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN). You can read more about the MPPN’s advocacy of a post-2015 multidimensional poverty measure at the 69th UN General Assembly session here. More information can be found (in Spanish) by clicking here and here.