September 26, 2023 – The Philippine government, through the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), underscored its innovative approach to multidimensional poverty during the UN General Assembly High-Level Week 2023 held on September 20, 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The side event, titled “Leveraging the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) to Advance Interlinked SDGs,” highlighted the country’s commitment to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon emphasized the importance of the MPI in capturing the multiple economic and social challenges that individuals face. In particular, it is aligned with the 2030 Agenda’s comprehensive approach to development.

She detailed the Philippines’ journey using the MPI. She highlighted the country’s efforts in refining its data approach, broadening the definition of poverty, and introducing pivotal policies that align with the broader objectives of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda.

“From 2015 to 2018, the Philippines adopted the MPI comprising 13 indicators across four dimensions: (1) education, (2) health and nutrition, (3) housing, water and sanitation, and (4) employment. Our findings underscored deeper deprivations, particularly in education,” Edillon said.

Highlighting the nation’s resilience and adaptability, she added, “For the years 2019-2022, as with most countries, the Philippines was battling COVID-19. But even during that time, what we did was enhance our data approach by adding questions into the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES)… and then merging it with the Labor Force Survey (LFS). Therefore, this one will give us reliable estimates down to provinces and highly urbanized cities, thereby being able to exact more accountability.”

With an aim to use the MPI to exact better accountability, both the FIES and LFS will have at least 25 times more samples than the previous dataset from the Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS).

Edillon also explained that as the Philippines expanded the definition of poverty as a state of deprivation, pivotal policies were enacted such as the 4Ps (Conditional Cash Transfer program), Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education, and Universal Health Care Law.

The side event, hosted by the Republic of Panama, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network, underscored the significance of political leadership in achieving SDGs, especially during these challenging times. The Philippines reiterated the nation’s commitment to using the MPI as a tool to drive policy actions, promote societal well-being, and reduce multidimensional poverty, all in line with the aspirations of the 2030 Agenda.

“What we are trying to do now is to fortify our commitment towards achieving the SDGs, and especially on [SDG indicator] 1.2… Armed with a refined targeting mechanism, robust institutional platforms, and a comprehensive monitoring system, we know that we are now better equipped to reduce the headcount and severity of the multi-dimensionally poor, and consequently, accelerate the SDGs,” Edillon concluded.

The UN General Assembly High-Level Week 2023 serves as a global platform, emphasizing worldwide dedication to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda.

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