Challenges

Poverty lies at the core of social development and its alleviation represents the greatest challenge of our time. The Pact of the Future, the Sevilla Commitment and the draft declaration of the Second World Summit on Social Development echo this view, emphasising that poverty should be understood in all its multiple dimensions. Multidimensional poverty is recognised in Target SDG 1.2 which requires robust multidimensional data for its indicator 1.2.2. The measurement and analysis of multidimensional poverty play a pivotal role for sustainable development. The most used measure of multidimensional poverty to date is the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). The Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN) is a south-south network focused on sharing best practices for measuring and addressing multidimensional poverty and predominantly examines implementation of MPIs for guiding strategic coordinated policies. The Network has four areas of focus: measuring poverty using the MPI and using the MPI as a policy and planning tool; prioritising the collection and strengthening of multidimensional poverty data for evidence-based decision-making; reporting progress on reducing multidimensional poverty on the international stage via the Global SDG Indicators Database; and acknowledging and profiling the level and trends of multidimensional poverty indices– national and global – as scene-setting indicators.

Toward a Solution

The Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN) is a global network of 64 countries and 22 organisations aimed at achieving SDG 1: ending poverty in all its forms. The MPPN is a global space where countries and institutions come together to share experiences, strategies, and challenges in measuring and tackling poverty. The core objective of the MPPN is to promote South–South exchange and peer learning of national and institutional experiences using multidimensional poverty measures as tools to alleviate poverty. The SDGs recognise that development challenges are interlinked and require coordinated solutions across sectors. To address these challenges, comprehensive, evidence-driven policies, such as Multidimensional Poverty Indices (MPIs), are vital. The MPI is both a comprehensive measurement tool and a strategic and high-impact policy instrument used to report SDG Indicator 1.2.2, with scope to also help monitor many of the other SDGs.

Traditional poverty measurement focuses on income, but multidimensional poverty measurement—and in particular the MPI—examines and tracks overlapping deprivations, such as poor health, lack of education, and inadequate living standards, ultimately contributing to a more holistic understanding of poverty. The MPI is a flexible and customizable tool which can be adapted according to the context – whether national, subnational, regional – to respond to local priorities. Currently, 40 countries have official MPIs as national statistics for poverty, 43 countries report MPIs to the SDGs, and 64 report MPI results to the Voluntary National Reviews since 2016. The annual report of the global MPI, co-authored with the UNDP HDRO office, includes data from 112 countries: 21 low-income countries, 87 middle-income countries, and 4 high-income countries—equivalent to 6.3 billion people, about 92 per cent of the population in developing regions—and serves as a benchmark for organisations and international agencies to identify trends and who is lagging behind.

The MPPN addresses a critical gap in international development: the lack of spaces for South–South knowledge exchange on tackling multidimensional poverty. The Network has four main areas of work: (1) measuring poverty using the Multidimensional Poverty Index, and, more importantly, using the MPI as a policy and planning tool for high-impact and effective efforts; (2) prioritising the collection and strengthening of multidimensional poverty data to monitor and track progress and for evidence-based decision-making; (3) actively reporting progress on reducing poverty in all its dimensions to the Global SDG Indicators Database; and (4) promoting the use of MPIs—national and global—as scene-setting indicators when describing global levels and trends of poverty. The Network’s participatory approach has been a significant aspect of its success.

The initiative’s participatory approach has been a significant aspect of its success. Founded in 2013 by Nobel Laureates Amartya Sen and Juan Manuel Santos, in response to the demand for knowledge exchange on implementing multidimensional poverty measures, the MPPN encourages dialogue form all world regions—representatives of Bangladesh, Colombia, China, South Africa, and its Secretariat, the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) sit on its Steering Committee. This collaborative structure ensures that all members share expertise, challenges, and best practices. The MPPN’s innovative approach lies in its creation of a unique platform for knowledge sharing on multidimensional poverty measurement and policymaking, which includes a website and a magazine, Dimensions, both of which are presented in English and Spanish. Through the website and magazine, different institutions and countries share, in a concise and informative way, their experiences with multidimensional poverty measures and other research updates, Policy Briefs, Handbooks, academic resources, and events. The MPPN’s participatory nature, free of charge, guarantees that its impact will endure over the medium and long term, as it continues to be relevant by responding to countries’ current challenges and innovations with a repository of over 10 years of experience.

The MPPN plays a pivotal role in fostering cross-country cooperation, particularly in South–South and triangular contexts. It hosts regular meetings, such as the High-Level Annual Meetings (in Uzbekistan 2024, attended by 180 representatives; in Chile/online 2021; in Seychelles 2019; in South Africa 2018; in China 2017; in Mexico 2016; in Colombia 2015; in Berlin 2014; in Oxford 2013), and provides technical and policy support. The quarterly conference calls bring together more than 30 countries across the globe to share updates, challenges, and innovations—this includes technical and policy teams. Also, the MPPN has hosted side-events to the UN General Assembly, UN High-level Political Forum and UN Statistical Commission since 2014, in coordination with Somalia, Panama, Costa Rica, Pakistan, UNCTAD, among many others. These meetings offer a platform for high-level policymakers, including heads of state, to discuss the implementation of effective poverty measures. The Network also facilitates private meetings between countries—for example, countries such as South Sudan and Nigeria have benefited from private discussions on how to implement and adapt poverty measures. Organisations such as the OECD have also benefited from the Network by receiving inputs from Network participants to inform the OECD Guidance on Poverty and Inequalities for donor countries. In addition, regional development banks, such as CAF and IsDB, have found the Network to be a useful interface and platform to guide and accelerate regional efforts to reduce poverty.

MPPN participant countries using the MPI have demonstrated a significant impact on poverty reduction. For example, in India, between 2005/06 and 2015/16, the incidence of multidimensional poverty was halved, with more than 270 million people moving out of poverty. This substantial reduction highlights the effectiveness of the MPI as a tool for guiding policy interventions, and has been shared and explained by officials to other Network participants in trainings and bilateral meetings with countries of other regions who are eager to implement this high-impact action. This underscores not only the robustness of the MPI but also the global potential of the MPPN’s sharing and exchange aim.