Unit -Three 
Measure of Poverty Reduction 
Poverty: low income, joblessness, homeless, vulnerable groups etc. 
Measure of poverty reduction: development, increasing income, empowerment, security, 
                                                      Justice, participation in development etc. 
Some important measures of poverty reduction are as follows: 
1. Control population growth rate 
2. Creation economic opportunities by developing infrastructure 
3. Investment in human capital 
4. Creating employment opportunities 
5. Development of rural infrastructures 
6. Balanced regional development 
7. Participatory development activities 
8. Targeted programs for poor 
9. Food pricing and distribution 
10. Social security 
11. Subsidies and special facilities to farmers 
12. Skill development programs and trainings 
13. Income generation programs 
14. Equal distribution of income 
15. Increase economic growth rate 
16. Implementation of land reform program 
17. Increase in access of financial institutions and insurance company in rural areas 
18. Women empowerment 
19. Special provision for ethnic, minorities, marginalized,  indigenous and people of
backward regions 
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Global measures: 
The role of the United Nations  
 
The United Nations Millennium Development Goals have 8 goals that all 191
UN member states have agreed to try to achieve by the year 2015. The United Nation
Millennium Declaration signed in September 2000, commits world leaders to combat
poverty, hunger, diseases, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination
against women. The MDG’s are derived from this declaration and all have specific
targets and indicators.  
 
At the millennium submit in September 2000 the largest of world leaders in history
adopted the Millennium Declaration, committing their notion to a new global partnership
to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time bound targets, with a deadline
of 2015 that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals. The MDG’s
achievement fund is an international cooperation mechanism whose aim is to accelerate
progress on the Millennium Development Goals worldwide. It supports to national
 governments, local authorities and citizens organizations in their efforts to tackle poverty
and inequality  
 
The MDG’s achievement fund presents the result of its work in 50 countries around the
world to reduce inequalities and progress towards the MDG’s. Some nine million
people have benefitted from their 130 programs across 5 continents which were funded
by the government of Spain and implemented jointly by 27 UN agencies and 1000 of
local and national governments, civil societies and organizations and most importantly
citizens themselves. The MDG’s are the world’s time bound and quantified targets for
addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions- income, poverty, hunger, diseases,
lack of adequate shelter and exclusion, while promoting gender equality, education and
environmental sustainability. They are also basic human rights and the rights of
each person on the planet to health, education, shelter and security. The MDG’s insist of
goals to be achieved by the years 2015, agreed by 23
international organizations committed to help achieve goals. 
 
Millennium Development Goals (8 Goals) 
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger  
2. Achieve universal primary education  
3. Promote Gender equality and empower women  
4. Reduce child mortality  
5. Improve maternal health  
6. Combat HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other diseases  
7. Ensure environmental sustainability  
8. Develop a global partnership for development  
 
It is realized that poverty is the global problem and many people are suffering by poverty so, the
aim of this goal is to encourage development by improving social and economic conditions in the
poorest counties of the world.  
Page BreakSuatainable Development Goals (2016-2030): 
 
 
 Role of World Bank:  
The World Bank is a United Nations international financial institution that provides loans to
developing countries for capital programs. Its official goals are the reduction of poverty. It
functions by offering developmental assistances to poor countries giving loans and
offering advices and trainings. It aims to reduce poverty to assist in the reconstruction and
development of members by facilitating the investment of capital for productive purposes. 
World Bank is creating new guidelines for development. It introduce comprehensive
development framework to serve a number of purposes: to sharpen the focus on the major goals
of development, to highlight the integrated nature of policy making, to emphasis the institutional
processes require to sustain the development and to coordinate development efforts . World Bank
has been evolving the comprehensive development framework in an attempt to operationalize a
holistic approach to development. The frame work is designed to serve as both a planning and a
management tool for coordinating the responses aimed at overcoming bottlenecks and
meeting development goals. Implementing these strategies in any countries would involve
consulting with and winning the support of a range of actors in civil society, as well as NGO’s,
donor groups and the private sector. The frame work is based on four areas of development-
Structural, Human, Physical and Sectoral  
1. Structural elements focus to good governance committed to the fight against corruption,
strong property and personal rights, rule of law, a well financial system that promotes
transparency and strong social safety net.  
2. Human development includes universal primary education and strong secondary and
tertiary systems and a health systems focus on family planning and child care  
3. Physical concerns electric power, road, rail, air transport, and communications.  
4. Sectoral elements includes an integrated rural development as well as strong urban
management approach and an enabling environment for the private sector. 
Role of International Monetary Fund (IMF)  
IMF is an organization of more than 188 countries works to foster global monetary corporation,
secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable
economic growth and reduce poverty around the world. Its primary mission is to ensure stability
in the international monetary system.  
IMF plays a vital role in combating poverty in low income countries through following programs
and activities:  
1. It provides economic policies, advice and financing to member countries  
2. Expanding the balanced growth of international trade  
3. Facilitating exchange rate stability  
4. Eliminating restrictions on the international flow of capital  
5. Ensuring confidence by making the general resources of the fund  
6. Promoting international monetary co-operations  
7. It makes technical assistance in banking and financial affairs  
Role of World Trade Organization: 
The WTO is a trade organization whose main function is to promote free trade by persuading
countries to abolish import terrify and other braises. It was establish in first January 1995. Main
functions of WTO are as follow:  
1. To ensure trade flows freely and smoothly as far as possible    
2. To promote world trade  
3. To implement the new world trade systems as visualized in the agreements  
4. To enhance competitiveness among all trading partners  
5. To increase the level of production and productive for ensuring level of employment in
the world  
6. To utilize and expand world resources  
7. To make economic development of the member states  
 
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Regional Financial and trade institution  
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and poverty  
ADB is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic
development of countries in Asia. It fights against poverty in Asia. ADB’s poverty reduction
assistance to its developing member countries aim to reach the estimated 1.7 billion people still
struggling less than $2 per day in urban slums or rural poverty.  Marginalized and excluded
people from the benefits of the region’s growth to achieve the vision of the Asia and Pacific free
of poverty, as laid out in ADB’s guiding strategy 2020, the bank supports pro-poor growth in its
developing member countries that is inclusive, environmentally sustainable and draws on the
regions increasing levels of co-operation and integration.  
ADB supports:  
 Rural infrastructures and connectivity ( particularly through an effective transport )  
 Natural resources conservation (soil and water) 
 Land reform, water rights and empowerments of women   
 Off-farm employment opportunities  
 Security from natural disasters and new forms of social protections  
 Special plans for remote areas  
 Targeting of indigenous people fisher folks and forest communities  
 Managed migration to urban areas  
 
An examples of ADB’s rural poverty reduction support is a $20 million grant from ADB’s
concessional Asian Development Fund for the high mountain agribusiness and livelihood
improvement project which is helping small farmers and rural enterprises increase the value and
salability of their goods  
 
The Association of southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and poverty   
The ASEAN is an association which represents the collective will of the nations to bind
themselves in amiable relations and cooperation for peace, security, freedom and prosperity. It
aims to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region
through joint venture in the spirit of equality and partnership. The main objective of this
association is to eradicate poverty and ensure high economic development of its member
countries by maintaining regional peace and stability through the rule of law 
 
 
 
 
The ASEAN is an association which represents the collective will of the nations to bind
themselves in amiable relations and cooperation for peace, security, freedom and prosperity. It
aims to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region
through joint venture in the spirit of equality and partnership. The main objective of this
association is to eradicate poverty and ensure high economic development of its member
countries by maintaining regional peace and stability through the rule of law 
 SAARC and Poverty
This association is a regional organization of the south Asian nations established in 1985.
Recognizing the imperative to address poverty related issue and to suggest strategies and
measures to alleviate poverty in region, the SAARC leaders at their 6th summit ( Colombo -1991)
established an Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation (ISACPA). The
commission while reporting to the 7th summit ( Dhaka-1993) provided a conceptual framework
for poverty alleviation through social mobilization and empowerment in south Asia. 
This association is a regional organization of the south Asian nations established in 1985.
Recognizing the imperative to address poverty related issue and to suggest strategies and
measures to alleviate poverty in region, the SAARC leaders at their 6th summit ( Colombo -1991)
established an Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation (ISACPA). The
commission while reporting to the 7th summit ( Dhaka-1993) provided a conceptual framework
for poverty alleviation through social mobilization and empowerment in south Asia.
The 8th SAARC summit ( New Delhi-1995) approved the establishment of a three mechanism for
dealing with poverty issues. Later at the 10th SAARC summit ( Colombo- 1998 ) noted that
human resources development is a key element in any poverty eradication program. The summit
directed the SAARC human development center is Islamabad to look into the possibility of its
contributing to the strengthening of the human resources development component of regional
poverty eradication programs.
11th summit( Kathmandu-2002 ) the leaders felt that the wider spread and debilitating poverty
continued to be the most formidable developmental challenge for the region. It decided- "Plan of
Action on Poverty Alleviation"
12th summit requested ISACPA  to continue as an advocacy body and submit to the next summit,
a comprehensive blue print setting out SAARC Development Goals ( SDG’s) for the next 5 years
in the area of poverty alleviation. 13th summit, the leaders declared the decade of (2006-2015) as
the SAARC decade of poverty alleviation. 
Ministers, in the meeting geld in Islamabad 2002, prepared a “plan of action on poverty
alleviation.” Some of the key points and emphasis in the plan of action are as follows : 
 Good governance through improved public sector management and delivery system,
particularly in areas that affects the poor, sound macro- economic management policies
through focus on quality and pattern of growth. 
 Enriching the concept of Human development through adaptation of Bhutan’s philosophy
of promoting “Gross National Happiness” through equitable socio- economic development. 
 Combating poverty through promotion of employment in small and medium enterprises,
micro- finance institutions and tourism sector.  
 Promoting multi-culturalism, pluralism and mass education through gender equality and
empowerment of women. 
 Vocational and technical training and skill up gradation. 
 Expanding social safety nets through skims targeting the poorest and the most vulnerable
by introducing old age benefits, disability benefits and benefits on the death of the primary
bread earners. 
 Investing in human capital and social sectors through encouragement of private sector
investment in education and health  
 Empowering local communities and governments through decentralization, ]financial
devolution and community participation  
 Strengthening poverty alleviation programs through building up the physical assets of the
poor, including grant assistance to the poor 
Legal Measurement of the poor (with reference to legal empowerment) 
Empowerment is the process which enables individuals or groups to fully access personal or
collective power, authority and influence that strength the capacity and condition of people,
institution or society. In another words empowerment refer to measures designed to increase the
degree of authority and self-determination in people and in communities in order to enable them
to represent their interest in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority.
Empowerment as a process of obtaining basic opportunities for marginalized people, either
directly by those people or through the help of non-marginalized others who share their own
access to these opportunities.  
Empowerment also includes encouraging and developing the skills for, self-sufficiency, with a
focus on eliminating the future need for charity or welfare in the individuals of the groups. It
encourages people to gain the skill and knowledge that will allow them to overcome obstacles in
life or work environment and ultimately, help them develop with in themselves or the society. 
Commission on legal empowerment of poor (CLEP) report emphasis “four pillars” of legal
empowerment. Three of the pillars are livelihood oriented, involving property right mainly
involving land, labor rights mainly micro and small business right. The fourth is an enabling
frame work constituting rule access to justice and of law, with legal identity for persons
otherwise denied legal status and thus certain rights and benefits. It described to legal
empowerment as “a process of systemic change through which the poor and excluded become
able to use the law, the legal system and legal services to protect and advance their lives and
interest as citizen.  
Legal empowerment includes: 
 Access law  
 Finding concrete solutions to the daily justice problems of people   
 The use of paralegals and other non-lawyers, linked to lawyers  
 A balance between rights and responsibilities  
 Gender equality  
 Enhancing social justice  
 Fostering accountability and combating impunity  
  Injecting rights into development  
 Making criminal justice more just 
 Promoting public security  
 
 
 
Substantive Dimension of legal empowerment  
1. Economic Dimension  
a. Economic growth by legal reform  
b. Strong property rights  
c. Economic security( investment and productivity ) 
d. Labor rights  
 
2. Social dimension  
a. Law and order  
b. Education  
c. Inclusion  
d. Health  
e. Social security  
 
3. Political Dimension  
a. Human rights 
b. Vested interest  
c. Democratization  
d. Weak institution   
UNESCO is committed to a series of initiatives at national and regional levels to support
empowerment of the poor and the eradication of poverty. The ILO promotes the legal
empowerment of the poor through the variety of standards related activities like legislative gaps
analysis, awareness rising and advocacy, advice on legislative reforms and capacity building
addressed to governments, employer’s and worker’s organizations as well as judge and
parliamentarians. FAO’s work in land tenure, forest and fisheries management has long focused
on creating an enabling, participatory and community based approach to development. More
recently, FAO participated very actively in the deliberation of commission on legal
empowerment of the poor in particular with regard to property rights. The FAO work plan for
2009 includes activities at the national level, the preparation of global guidelines and studies
related fisheries, forest tenure, land tenure, wild life laws, farmers association and social
transfers, which is closely linked to legal empowerment of the poor that seeks to promote the
right of food . 
Legal empowerment of poor requires raising community-level awareness, access to legal
services, including paralegal services to this end , the international community should be
encouraged to support community-based initiatives and civil society organization working on
these issues. 
 
Extra Legal Measures (Economic, social and cultural response to poverty reduction)   
At the global level economic social and cultural measures are adopted for the poverty reduction.
Different economic, social and cultural activities, programs, plans, policies, covenants and other
international instruments are held to tackle with the poverty at the global level. The international
covenant on economic social and cultural rights (ICESCR) is directly related to economic social
and cultural aspects. This covenant is adopted by the United Nation General Assembly.
International covenant on civil and political rights (ICCPR) enable people to live with dignity. it
covers important areas of public policy and other rights-  
 Right to work including fair wages  
 Right to fair and just conditions of work  
 Right to social security  
 Right to adequate food  
 Right to clothing and housing  
 Right to health and education  
 Protection of family including special assistance for mothers and children  
 Right to form trade union including the right to strike 
 Right to participate in cultural life and enjoy the benefits of scientific progress