MPPN Roundtable Discussion

Date: 17-18 October

Organizers: Co-hosted by the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa and the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN).

 

The MPPN Roundtable discussion will take place on 17 and 18 October 2024, in Cape Town, South Africa. The meeting is co-hosted by the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa and the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN).

The roundtable offers a vital opportunity for exchange and learning on multidimensional poverty among experts and leading voices from governments and international institutions. This meeting presents a unique chance to enhance capacity and foster dialogue on high-impact policies and effective strategies to alleviate poverty in all its forms using the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

Poverty is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon that goes beyond the simple lack of income to include deprivations in health, education, housing, clean water, and more. Target 1.2 of the SDGs clearly recognises the multidimensional nature of poverty and calls on countries to reduce by at least half the proportion of the population living in poverty in all its forms by 2030.

In response to the multidimensionality of poverty, a growing number of countries have adopted an official national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), tailored to their local contexts and priorities, to provide the necessary information to guide poverty reduction policies. Countries are using MPIs to track progress in reducing poverty, report on the SDGs, guide budget allocation, target social programmes, coordinate multi-sectoral strategies, and evaluate poverty reduction policies.

In early 2014, Statistics South Africa produced a national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) – the South African Multidimensional Poverty Index (or SAMPI). The measure has been designed to “improve poverty measurement for the country and to align ourselves with the growing international trend towards measuring poverty beyond the traditional money-metric method”. It is intended to complement the money-metric measures already used in the country, including the food poverty line, the lower-bound poverty line and the upper-bound poverty line.

As South Africa continues to reinforce policies to leave no one behind and target the most vulnerable, the MPI serves as an effective and high-impact tool for policy. The Parliamentary Budget Office has recently revised and developed its capacity to analyse budget allocations in the context of multidimensional poverty, offering Members of Parliament valuable insights into the challenges facing our country. Additionally, as the world faces new challenges, including conflict and climate crises, this meeting will provide a unique opportunity to facilitate and contribute to national and regional dialogue.

In this spirit, the goals of the MPPN Roundtable discussion are to:

• Facilitate or contribute to National Dialogue: The meeting will serve as a platform for in-depth discussions on the specific challenges South Africa faces in addressing multidimensional poverty. It will bring together key stakeholders from various sectors to explore innovative approaches and share best practices for poverty reduction.
• Contribute to MPs’ Capacity Building for Oversight: The meeting will offer comprehensive training sessions for MPs on multidimensional poverty analysis, monitoring, and evaluation. This capacity building is crucial for empowering MPs to effectively scrutinise budget allocations and advocate for policies that prioritise poverty reduction.
• Share Best Practices: By inviting international experts and policymakers from other countries, the meeting will foster a global exchange of knowledge and experiences. This will enable South African Members of Parliament to learn from successful poverty reduction strategies implemented elsewhere and adapt them to our unique context.