Human poverty is more than a shortfall or lack of income. It is the denial of economic, political, social and physical opportunities to lead a long, healthy, creative life and to enjoy a decent standard of living, freedom, dignity, self-esteem and the respect of others. Poverty is a major cause of food insecurity. Its reduction is essential to improve the access of nutritionally adequate and safe food for all.

Documents and Tools

IFAD Rural Poverty Report 2001 – The Challenge of Ending Rural Poverty

The rural poor make up around three-quarters of the world's 1.2 billion poor. This IFAD report argues that, to be successful, poverty-reduction policies must focus on rural areas and stresses that social changes, when linked to agricultural change, can give the poor more power over the factors that shape their lives.

Joint WB and IMF report on PRSP 2005

The 2005 PRS Review will draw on the experiences of countries in preparing and implementing poverty reduction strategies and of donors in supporting these efforts. Currently, 45 countries are implementing their PRSs, of which 24 have produced at least one annual progress report.

UNDP Poverty Report 2000 – Overcoming Human Poverty

Overcoming Human Poverty makes a special effort to assess a broad range of national poverty programmes - to find out what is working and what is not, and to draw out some general lessons for better policies.

World Development Report 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty

This study – the most detailed-ever investigation of global poverty carried out by the World Bank - states that Major reductions in poverty are possible but achieving these will require a more comprehensive approach that directly addresses the needs of poor people in three important areas: opportunity, empowerment, and security.

PovertyNet Electronic Newsletter

Poverty and development; poverty monitoring and evaluation; the impact of growth and inequality on poverty; the role of human capital development in the fight against poverty; safety nets; and social capital – these are the some of the topics covered in the monthly on-line subscription newsletter available from the World Bank.

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP)

Some examples of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) which describe a country's macroeconomic, structural and social policies and programmes to promote growth and reduce poverty, as well as associated external financing needs. PRSPs are prepared by governments through a participatory process involving civil society and development partners.

Global Poverty Report 2001: A Globalized Market - opportunities and risks for the Poor

This World Bank report considers the effects of globalizing markets on poverty in developing countries and outlines the channels through which increased trade openness can affect poverty, examining the evidence from four regions: sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Pro-Poor Policies

Published in March 2001, this study evaluates progress made by the UNDP Poverty Strategies Initiative, a global programme launched in 1996 to help countries develop national and local strategies for reducing poverty.

Worldwide Initiatives

World Summit for Social Development

The World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, March 1995) pledged to make the conquest of poverty, the goal of full employment and the fostering of social integration overriding objectives of development. Five years on, leaders reconvened in Geneva to review progress and commit themselves to new initiatives.

First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty

In December 1995, the General Assembly proclaimed the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006) and one year later laid down the theme for the Decade as a whole which is "eradicating poverty is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind."

Debt Relief and Poverty Reduction Strategies

The World Bank Group and the IMF determined that nationally-owned participatory poverty reduction strategies should provide the basis of all their concessional lending and for debt relief under the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. This approach has led to the development of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) by country authorities for submission to the Bank and Fund Boards.

Links

Poverty Net

The World Bank’s gateway to resources and support for those working to understand and alleviate poverty, includes documentation (feature articles, reports, newsletters) regional information and links to various organizations (academic and research, non-governmental, and bilateral).

Overview of Poverty Reduction Strategies

This page provides an overview of Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs). It includes an introduction to PRSs, core principles, key process steps, linkages between development of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and World Bank/IMF policies, and definitions of key terms.

UNDP Poverty Page

A gateway to resources on poverty and its alleviation worldwide, including information and links to programmes and initiatives, publications, good practices, events and discussions.

Global Coalitions for Voices of the Poor

This website hosted by the World Bank is dedicated to supporting the advancement of coalitions, that aim to create spaces in international fora for the voices and priorities of poor people. A series of working meetings have been convened to strategize and brainstorm about how best support connections between poor people's grassroots networks and global dialogues and decision-making.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – Towards the Elimination of Poverty

This site is maintained by UNDP’s Social Development and Poverty Elimination Division (SEPED), responsible for providing policy guidance and support in three focus areas within the framework of Sustainable Human Development (SHD): poverty eradication, employment and sustainable livelihoods and gender and development.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Poverty Reduction

To address crosscutting social concerns, ADB focuses on the human and social perspectives of development. Examples of crosscutting concerns are participation, gender and development, involuntary resettlement, protection of vulnerable groups, poverty reduction, environmental protection and management, and human development.

MSU Global Access

MSU Global Access is an Internet portal to information selected by experts of the Michigan State University Office of International Studies and Programs. It contains a database of links to Websites, features country specific pages, maps, and international news.