Jamaica is being encouraged by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to add the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to its measurement toolkit to routinely assess the number, type and intensity of deprivations being experienced by the population that cannot be solely measured by income.

The MPI model, used globally by the UNDP, assesses deprivations in health, education and living standards, but can be adapted at the national level to add country-specific deprivations for measurement purposes.

In her last address as UNDP Resident Representative for Jamaica, Denise E Antonio pointed out that many individuals assessed as income poor under current income-based consumption methodologies may in fact be multidimensionally poor.

She was addressing delegates of UNDP’s Ready Set Great youth conference convened at the Jamaica Pegasus on 17 October, which is globally commemorated as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Noting that the MPI is not designed to replace but to complement income-based consumption methods, Antonio said the resulting data can facilitate greater precision in the development of targeted poverty reduction programmes.

“We are encouraged by news that the government is actively exploring the MPI and would like to offer our global knowledge network and any other resources to clarify its cost benefits, regulatory and implementation requirements,” she stated.

And in their draft call to action on youth poverty deliberated at the conference, delegates also pressed their case for the MPI, going further than calls for this measurement tool, to request the development of evidence-based youth-centric programmes targeting multidimensional poverty among young people and their families.

The call for the MPI is among 50 solutions advanced by delegates in their Call to Action which is aligned to the four national goals of the Vision 2030 National Development Plan. The draft, deliberated by delegates in four similarly aligned breakout groups, follows national consultations among youth and also builds on calls to action from previous Ready Set Great conferences.

The conference, convened in-person for the first time following two years as a virtual event, also featured a motivational talk from Scotch Boyz CEO and co-founder, Neil Hudson; UNDP’s Development Challenge pitch competition for university students and a series of masterclasses to share critical lessons and best practices to youth interested in supporting national efforts to reduce poverty.

The Steering Committee leading the implementation of Ready Set Great included representatives of UNDP, Planning Institute of Jamaica, Vision 2030 Secretariat, Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Research (SALISES), Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), Youths For Excellence Limited, Youths Inspiring Positive Change Jamaica, Young Women and Men of Purpose, Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students, and the Caribbean Youth Climate Justice Coalition.

The youth demographic is one of several groups targeted for services under UNDP MCO’s Country Programme 2022 – 2026, having been identified as requiring urgent support to strengthen their social resilience and inclusion.

UNDP’s Country Programme aims to contribute to national efforts to reduce multidimensional poverty.