Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Dr. Sabina Alkire, Professor at the Oxford University visited Pakistan from December 12-15 on the special invitation of Dr. Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant of the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and UNDP. Dr. Alkire is the Director of Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford. Dr. Alkire is a global expert in poverty measurement and has developed the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). She was in Pakistan to assist with poverty estimations for Ehsaas. During her visit, Dr. Alkire met with the President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi and had a series of meetings with Dr. Sania Nishtar. She also made a presentation at a Roundtable on international experiences in the use of the Multidimensional Poverty Index for policy. Pakistan will release its Multidimensional Poverty Index in mid-2020. Speaking to the audience of the Roundtable, Dr. Alkire quoted from the book of the late Sir Tony Atkinson which was published posthumously this year—Measuring Poverty Around the World. She quoted “Poverty statistics matter because they motivate people to tackle a key challenge. The link to action – attacking poverty and reducing inequality – is all important” she further added “this is what makes Ehsaas a powerful poverty eradication umbrella initiative, with its multi-component strategy”.
