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Issue 17 | 12 December 2019
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Dear Colleague,
In our Snapshot Issue #17, we highlight the launch of the Human Development Report 2019, “Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: Inequalities in human development in the 21st century”.
In line with the central theme of the Report, we have included a variety of publications and news concerning inequality in its multiple dimensions. Enjoy the reading!
Share your views or ask how this community can help you in your work by sending a message to cop-poverty@undp.org
Stay tuned,
Ricardo, Chunnian, Rishi, Ider, and Renata
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Curious about what our CoP offers? Play this trailer to find out.
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UNDP launches the 2019 Human Development Report
On 09 December, UNDP launched the 2019 Human Development Report in the city of Bogotá, Colombia. The report finds that a new generation of inequalities is emerging. Countries are meeting the basic capabilities, but for enhanced capabilities a different picture emerges. Tackling inequality requires us to go beyond income (to address other dimensions – from health and education to access to technologies and exposure to shocks); beyond averages (to move away from an analysis dominated by summary measures, leveraging the availability of new data and innovative methods); and beyond today (to take a long-term view of inequality, identifying trends and making projections towards the achievement of the SDGs by 2030). Watch the recording of the launch event
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To answer global protests, tackle new inequalities: 2019 Human Development Report
The last few weeks have seen the eruption of massive social unrest worldwide. Remarkably, protests are not being led by the poorest segments of society but predominantly by emerging middle classes. Why so? According to the Human Development Report 2019, inequality is the answer. But inequality is not just about disparities of income and wealth; it is also about diverging social opportunities, resources, and hope for a better future. “Such inequalities in human development hurt societies, weakening social cohesion and people’s trust in government, institutions and each other... In the extreme, people can take to the streets”, the report concludes. If we are to cope up with social discontent, we need a better understanding of how new inequalities work. Read more
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New UNAIDS report: Power to the People
HIV is not only about health. It is also about discrimination and violence against those affected by the virus. People living with HIV need to have the power to shape the response to their condition. This is the conclusion of a new UNAIDS report launched in Kenya for the World AIDS Day celebrated on 1 December. It finds that when people affected by HIV are empowered to participate in decision-making, new infections decline while access to treatment increases. “The partnership between government and civil society, together with the meaningful involvement of communities, has allowed us to reduce new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths,” said Sicily Kariuki, Cabinet Secretary for Health in Kenya. “Communities are the very center of the AIDS response and are critical to ending AIDS”. Read more
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Angola: National Multidimensional Poverty report
Angola’s National Institute of Statistics (INE), with assistance from UNDP and in partnership with the University of Oxford Human Development Initiative (OPHI), released its Report on Multidimensional Poverty of Municipalities of Angola. The report highlights the multiple deprivations that affect the country’s 164 municipalities, considering four dimensions: health, education, living conditions, and employment. Henrik Larsen, UNDP Resident Representative in Angola, emphasized that this analysis will shed insights on the municipalities with the highest incidence of multidimensional poverty, and will guide national policies towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Read more
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The other bar: A blockchain chocolate bar for equality
 Carlo Ruiz
Head, Inclusive Growth & risk reduction management
We are pleased to share a pilot project from UNDP Ecuador in partnership with FairChain Foundation which is using a blockchain chocolate bar to tackle poverty and inequality. This project is aiming to support the cocoa farmers not earning living incomes. Using blockchain technology allows consumers, producers, and farmers to engage in this fair business. “This experiment is a blueprint on how to tackle poverty.” According to Carlo Ruiz, who leads the initiative, “it’s a game-changer because we can prove to multinationals and governments that there is consumer demand for a fairer way.” If you are interested in the project or you missed the CoP Chat we had with Carlo, we are sharing the recording for this ChocoChat. Watch here
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Join e-discussion: Decade of Action for SDG acceleration
The SDG Integration Community of Practice is leading an e-discussion to source ideas and reflections from colleagues on what an ambitious Decade of Action looks like for the SDG Integration offer and UNDP’s work at the country level. The e-discussion seeks to get views on how to systematically incorporate the SDGs into plans and policies design, with a focus on potential multiplier effects to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. You can still contribute your ideas - the discussion is open until 13 December. Join now
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Winners Take All
Why is it that this age of unprecedented corporate generosity happens to coincide with a reality of extraordinary inequality and systemic unfairness? In this thought-provoking book, Anand Giridharadas gives an account of how the same powerful billionaires who persistently lobby for an economy of injustice have managed to create an image of themselves as entrepreneurs of social change. But far from “changing the world”, Mr. Giridharadas argues, philanthropism perpetuates the status quo while distracting us from pushing for real change. Read more
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Mapping regional inequality
Although income differences between rich and poor countries have decreased in the last decades, inequalities within countries continue to be large, persistent, and growing over time. This is the main finding of a recent IMF paper on patterns of regional disparities in twenty advanced economies. The article discusses a variety of geographically targeted fiscal policies to address income gaps among regions of the same country. Read more
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Inequality could be lower than you think
Inequality has become one of the most pressing obstacles for SDG achievement. Yet, inequality reduction policy won’t be effective unless based on the right diagnosis. This article puts into question some of the most common assumptions behind conventional accounts of income and wealth inequality. If we are to address economic injustice adequately, we need to ground our policies on verified evidence rather than unsupported belief. Read more
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Towards a New System of Community Wealth
This report offers a new paradigm to build equity for entrepreneurs and low-income residents in distressed communities across the United States. In contrast to a top-down and grant-based model for community development, it introduces a more localized approach centered on four pillars: growing individual assets in distressed places; growing collective neighborhood-based assets; improving access to private capital; enhancing inclusion. Read more
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The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Africa
This report analyzes potential economic gains of greater gender equality in Africa. It finds that the region could add $316 billion (or 10 percent to GDP) in six years if all countries were to accelerate progress towards gender parity at the same pace as the best performer country. In the business as usual scenario, however, Africa would need 140 years to achieve desired results. Explore more
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[YouTube Video] How modern families increase social inequality
Our CoP team invites you to watch this YouTube video by The Economist on how the different ways wealthier and poorer families raise their children are widening social inequalities. Women with a university degree are more likely
to be married and raise children with their husbands as a team than women who do not finish high-school. Middle-class fathers spent more time with their kids than their working-class counterparts. As children’s early years are the most important for cognitive development, sons of professionals have a head start long before they start school. This is contributing to a growing social divide. Watch now
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Call for papers -The 19th World Congress of the International Economic Association (IEA)
Submit your paper proposal to the 19th World Congress of the International Economic Association (IEA) to be held in Bali on 3-7 July 2020. The deadline for submission is 15 January 2020. Notification to authors is 15 February 2020. Learn more
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JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Senior Sustainable Development Officer - UN DESA
P5 | New York, USA | Apply by 14 December 2019
Regional Cooperation Specialist
P3 | Belgrade, Republic of Serbia | Apply by 15 December 2019
Senior Human Rights Advisor
P5 | Yangoon, Myanmar | Apply by 16 December 2019
Portfolio Manager (republication)
P3 | Kinshasa, Congo, The Democratic Republic| Apply by 31 December 2019
Portfolio Analyst - Disruptive Technologies - IFC
Washington, DC, US | Apply by 3 January 2019
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Your CoP team will be happy to hear from you. Contact us at
cop-poverty@undp.org to send feedback or content you may wish to share.
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