UNGA High-Level Side Event: Measuring and Tackling Poverty in All its Dimensions

News
19 September 2016
OPHI News

OPHI is pleased to announce that it will once again be helping to organize a High-Level Side Event at the UN General Assembly, to be held 22 September 2016, 1:15pm-2:30pm, at the UN Headquarters, Conference Room 7. This event, entitled "Measuring and Tackling Poverty in All Its Dimensions", will provide cutting-edge updates on how countries are using measures of multidimensional poverty to advance the Sustainable Development Goals: by reporting the global or national multidimensional poverty index (MPI) as indicator 1.2.2, and by using MPIs as governance tools.

Confirmed speakers include their eminences: Jerry Matjila, Ambassador of South Africa to the UN; Jeff Radebe, Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, South Africa; Juan Orlando Hernández, President of Honduras; a speech by Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Tatyana Orozco de la Cruz, Director of the Department for Social Prosperity, delivering speech by Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia; Ambassador of Costa Rica to the UN, delivering speech by Luis Guillermo Solis, President of Costa Rica; Joel Morgan, Foreign Affairs Minister of Seychelles (through Ambassador); Ernesto M. Pernia, Secretary of the National Economic Development Authority of the Philippines; Shamsul Alam, Member (Senior Secretary) of the General Economics Division, Planning Commission of Bangladesh; Gabriela Rosero, Minister of Social Development of Ecuador (through Ambassador); Anna Mwasha, Director of the Poverty Eradication Department of Tanzania; Ana Revenga, Senior Director of Poverty and Equity Global Practice, The World Bank; Savas Alpay, Chief Economist of the Islamic Development Bank; Ayodele Odusola, Chief Economist for the Regional Bureau for Africa at UNDP; and Sabina Alkire, Director of OPHI, University of Oxford. 

The event is organised by the Republic of South Africa with the support of the Government of Seychelles and OPHI on behalf of over 45 governments represented by the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN). MPPN is a South-South network of senior government officials that is championing the use of multidimensional poverty measures alongside monetary measures at both national and global levels. MPPN members include China, Colombia, Mexico, South Africa, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Botswana, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Malaysia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Vietnam, among others. 

Multidimensional Poverty Indices (MPIs) have two key features: they show the interlinkages between indicators of poverty – the overlapping deprivations poor people suffer simultaneously. And, they are disaggregated extensively so they can help to leave no one behind. Thus they support integrated multi-sectoral policies – as the high level speakers will detail in their own contexts. 

The MPPN endorsed the use of the global MPI for the SDG target of halving the proportion of people in multidimensional poverty. It also proactively promotes the design and use of national MPIs as powerful policy tools for governance. This event will showcase these ideas in action. 

To RSVP, please email mppn@ophi.org.uk 

For more information, please read the concept note for the event.