Editorial 2 Issue – Dimensions

The Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN) brings together high-level government representatives from all over the world whose shared objective is to eliminate poverty in their countries and who consider multidimensional indicators to be very powerful tools for achieving this goal.

Each year, the MPPN holds a meeting where country representatives and participating institutions (65 as of now) get together to share experiences and to learn from what other countries have done about multidimensional poverty.

The last meeting was held in Acapulco in November of 2016, where more than one hundred people from different corners of the world joined together to reflect and learn from each other. One fact that should be noted is the important increase in the participation of African countries in the meeting. The MPPN is rapidly expanding in this continent. As indicated by a network member after the conclusion of the meeting: multidimensional poverty is not only a point of view, it has become a movement of people who share a passion for what they do and have a common objective.

In its short three and a half years of existence, this growing network of countries has already made history. By assuming a new point of view on poverty, it has focused on a series of problems that were not being considered. This is not a minor challenge in political or technical terms. But these meetings – and Dimensions magazine – have led the way in examining how countries have met these challenges.

In this second edition of Dimensions magazine, we present to you a small part of all that is mentioned above. First, we share an interview with Heidi Berner from the Social Development Ministry of Chile, where she speaks about Chile’s national MPI. Three articles showing advances in multidimensional measurements in Latin America follow. Finally, there is a summary of what we witnessed at the Acapulco meeting of the MPPN as expressed through the voices of its participants.

We invite you to read and share Dimensions magazine.

 

 

Congratulations to the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos

We want to take advantage of this space to congratulate the President of the Republic of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, for obtaining the Nobel Peace award. President Santos is, together with Amartya Sen, one of the founders of the Multidimensional Poverty Network. Undoubtedly, he is a leader for peace and the reduction of poverty in all its dimensions.

 

* Translated from Spanish into English by Anna Valdes, UN Volunteer. Revised by Ann Barham.