Development Strategies and Policies

Income convergence between developed and developing countries in recent years is mainly the result of rapid economic growth in Asia. The distance between average per capita income in other developing regions and that in developed countries has not changed significantly; between-country inequality continues to be a cause of concern.

The subject of inequality appears throughout the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, both directly and indirectly. When examined across the four different angles of inequality?access, gender, opportunity and outcomes?many goals and targets of the Sustainable Development Goals are clearly linked to inequality.

The understanding of inequality has evolved from the traditional outcome-oriented view, whereby income is used as a proxy for well-being. The opportunity-oriented perspective acknowledges that circumstances of birth are essential to life outcomes and that equality of opportunity requires a fair starting point for all.

Measuring poverty with a single income or expenditure measure is an imperfect way to understand the deprivations of the poor since, for example, markets for basic needs and public goods may not exist. Complementing monetary with non-monetary information provides a more complete picture of poverty.

There are many measures of inequality that, when combined, provide nuance and depth to our understanding of how income is distributed. Choosing which measure to use requires understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each, and how they can complement each other to provide a complete picture.

The 2015 Report of the MDG Gap Task Force was launched today in New York by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo and UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. The Task Force was created in 2007 to monitor Millennium Development Goal 8, Global Partnership for Development, specifically its five core domains, official development assistance (ODA), market access (trade), debt sustainability, access to affordable essential medicines and access to new technologies. This year marks the last of the series of this monitoring process with a closing report tracking 15 years of progress. As has been reported, there have been significant positive developments pointing to an effective international partnership in the five domains, but several deficits in development cooperation have continuously highlighted the need for a rejuvenation of the global partnership for development.

The 2015 Report of the MDG Gap Task Force was launched today in New York by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo and UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. The Task Force was created in 2007 to monitor Millennium Development Goal 8, Global Partnership for Development, specifically its five core domains, official development assistance (ODA), market access (trade), debt sustainability, access to affordable essential medicines and access to new technologies. This year marks the last of the series of this monitoring process with a closing report tracking 15 years of progress. As has been reported, there have been significant positive developments pointing to an effective international partnership in the five domains, but several deficits in development cooperation have continuously highlighted the need for a rejuvenation of the global partnership for development.

The 2015 Report of the MDG Gap Task Force was launched today in New York by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Wu Hongbo and UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. The Task Force was created in 2007 to monitor Millennium Development Goal 8, Global Partnership for Development, specifically its five core domains, official development assistance (ODA), market access (trade), debt sustainability, access to affordable essential medicines and access to new technologies. This year marks the last of the series of this monitoring process with a closing report tracking 15 years of progress. As has been reported, there have been significant positive developments pointing to an effective international partnership in the five domains, but several deficits in development cooperation have continuously highlighted the need for a rejuvenation of the global partnership for development.

Peace and Stability as Enablers for and Outcome of Development Pingfan Hong