Poverty Analysis Guideline
NZAID Commitment and Rationale
Poverty elimination is the central focus of NZAID’s work. NZAID’s policy statement Towards a Safe and Just World Free of Poverty (LINK) identifies four strategic outcomes for the Agency:
- Fulfillment of basic needs;
- Sustainable livelihoods;
- Sustainable and equitable development; and
- Building of safe, just and inclusive societies.
These strategic outcomes are mutually reinforcing and all contribute to NZAID’s core focus on poverty elimination.
Key concepts
Concepts of poverty matter because the way we view poverty affects our strategies for reducing poverty. If poverty is viewed as a matter of only raising incomes, then strategies focus solely on economic growth. But as soon as the processes that conspire to keep the poor in poverty are considered, the definition of poverty becomes broader. As well as poor income, poor health, education and access to basic services, such as clean water and sanitation, are seen as important elements in a multidimensional view of poverty.
NZAID defines three different types of poverty:
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an inability to meet basic needs |
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where opportunities to participate in economic, social, civil and political life are seriously limited |
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where individuals, communities and countries are particularly vulnerable to circumstances likely to damage their:
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