Data on poverty and vulnerability essential for effective planning – PM Dinesh

PM Dinesh Gunawardena has called on all policy-makers, as well as the private sector and civil society, to use the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) formulated by the UNDP to understand and implement measures to help move Sri Lanka away from vulnerability and poverty in the future.

He made this remark when UNDP Resident Representative Azusa Kubota visited him at the Temple Trees on Thursday (Aug. 31) together with the members of the UNDP experts team Dr Sabina Alkire, Director, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford and Prof Siri Hettige, Professor in Sociology to hand over the UNDP MVI MPI Reports.

Gunawardena thanked the OPHI, the UNDP SURGE Data Hub, and the Citra Social Innovation Lab, which is anchored within the Prime Minister’s Office in Sri Lanka for the preparation of the database which will be of significant use to effectively design national policies for these vulnerable groups.

Kubota explained that the data for the report was collected from a national-level survey capturing insights from 25,000 households covering the issues related to nutrition, education, household debt, or risks of disasters.

Dr Alkire said the MVI MPI offer a robust evidence base to better understand the challenges faced by vulnerable groups and to assist policymakers in formulating targeted and effective policies.

Prof. Hettige said the database on poverty and vulnerability will be useful for the government to effectively plan its policy programs to bring Sri Lanka back on track and onto a more sustainable development pathway.

Prime Minister’s Secretary Anura Dissanayake, Advisor (Media) Sugeeswara Senadhira and UNDP Team Leader Fadhil Bakeer Markar were also in attendance.