Statistical Institute of Belize held a virtual inaugural meeting of the National Multidimensional Poverty Index Project Steering Committee

PRESS RELEASE

Statistical Institute of Belize held a virtual inaugural meeting of the National Multidimensional Poverty Index Project Steering Committee

The Statistical Institute of Belize held a virtual inaugural meeting of the national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Project Steering Committee on Friday, June 3rd, 2022. The Steering Committee is comprised of various partners with an interest in measuring the extent of poverty and in developing interventions aimed at reducing poverty in Belize, including government and non-government agencies, international organizations, and the academic community. The committee will function as an advisory body, providing insight and perspectives on the measurement of multidimensional poverty in Belize, based on their respective areas of expertise. Along with the SIB, it will be engaged in the process of selecting appropriate dimensions and indicators, as well as the respective weights and cut-off points to be used for the production of a methodologically sound and nationally representative MPI structure.

The development of the national MPI is being carried out with technical assistance from the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, which pioneered the methodology being used, and with financial support from the Caribbean Development Bank and United Nations Children’s Fund. Data to produce the MPI will be extracted from the 2021 September Labour Force Survey and the key findings will be presented at the SIB’s quarterly press conference in September. A report is expected to be published by December of this year.

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