World Bank and UNDP discuss hunger and poverty eradication

Brazilian and foreign experts are attending a series of meetings in Brasília to discuss ways to measure poverty and social policies to overcome it by sharing experiences in Brazil and other countries. The 1st WWP – A World Without Poverty International Seminar is sponsored by Brazil Learning Initiative for a World without Poverty (WWP), a partnership of Brazil's government with the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Jorge Chediek, UNDP Resident Representative in Brazil, pointed out this is a timely opportunity to debate world poverty as a new development agenda is in the making. The UN is currently preparing the Sustainable Development Goals that will supersede the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.

“Brazil has pledged to eradicate long-standing poverty and hunger and shown the world that with firm political commitment and consistent public policies, it can be changed within a generation's time,” said Chediek.

In July, the UNDP published the 2014 Human Development Report. In addition to a Human Development Index (HDI) ranking 187 countries, the report included a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for 91 countries. Brazil's MPI, for example, dropped 22.5% in six years.

As Tereza Campello, Minister of Social Development and Fight against Hunger, pointed out, “not only have people's incomes improved. Progress has been made on a multidimensional scale, thanks to a whole set of actions that have ensured people's access to a wider range of goods and rights.”

James Foster, a professor at George Washington University, said the initiative of creating a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) by country was instrumental. He says poverty should be looked at in a broader perspective beyond economic terms. The MPI should be based on a range of factors including health, education, child mortality, malnutrition, and public services.

Translated by Mayra Borges