The Hon. Minister disclosed to Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, Partners, the Media, Academic and Research Institutions present, that the Multidimensional Poverty Profile accounts for five key dimensions of well-being in the country: Education, Health, Living Standards, Energy, and Housing. This analysis demonstrates the importance of taking a multi-sectoral approach to improving service delivery for the people of which thoughts and solutions cannot be limited to just a sector.
Hon. Nabeela Tunis affirmed that Government has demonstrated its commitment to using this evidence in the recently launched Medium Term National Development Plan (MTNDP), 2019-2023, which is entitled ‘Education for Development’. She added that the MTNDP previewed some of the results of this Multidimensional Poverty Profile, in order to lay a strong foundation for development planning in the country.
The Minister stated that the Medium Term National Development Plan is clearly aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Government of Sierra Leone under the leadership of His Excellency, The President, Julius Maada Bio, will utilise the Poverty Profile to fully implement the SDGs.
She highlighted that the results of this study will be incorporated into the Voluntary National Review (VNR) on SDGs implementation for the 2019 UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York.
She expressed the Governments’ commitment to the principle of “Leaving No One Behind” emphasising the Multidimensional Poverty Profile assistance in targeting those in need whether they be youth, women, persons with disabilities or those living in remote communities.
Launching the report, Hon. Tunis acknowledged the fantastic contributions of those that made this national document possible. Firstly, the unwavering support of UNDP is greatly appreciated. The commitment of Statistics Sierra Leone to creating credible data to inform policy decisions is highly noted. Finally, the work of Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI) is laudable and much appreciated.
Making his statement, the United Nations Development Programme, Resident Representative, Samuel G. Doe said that the report clearly demonstrates that poverty is not just the lack of income, but it’s a complex challenge.
He said that the report is of great importance to the implementation of the Government’s Medium-Term National Development Plan (2019-2023). Mr. Doe disclosed that the UNDP has aligned its Vision (an inclusive and resilient Sierra Leone with no poverty) to the Government’s MTNDP through their next Country Programme Document.
He further expressed the UNDP’s commitment to ensuring that their programmes have direct impact on the lives of Sierra Leoneans with special attention to women, children, youth and persons living with disabilities.
Overall, the incidence of multidimensional poverty is 64.8 percent (almost two-thirds). Average intensity of poverty, which reflects the share of deprivations each poor person experiences on average, is 57.9 percent.
