Measuring the reduction of poverty in all its dimensions using national definitions: alternative methods of assessment, Jakob Dirksen, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI)

In the wake of the pandemic, clear and emphatic targets to reduce poverty in all its forms are indispensable. But how can these targets be tracked? How can success be recognised, or shortfalls identified and accelerated? Can trends to date be used to reflect upon the realism of the targets – despite gaps in poverty data, especially post-pandemic? To date, the Global SDG report of the UN Secretary General, and related reports, track and report Goal 1 using monetary poverty measures. However, the SDGs differ substantively from their predecessor (the MDGs) in recognising explicitly that poverty takes many forms and dimensions (Target 1.2).