MDG, Human Development, and poverty monitoring in Europe & CIS

MDG, Human Development and poverty monitoring

Eastern European countries have markedly unequal progress in their transitions. In all of them, however, transition from centrally-planned economies and egalitarian societies brought about widening inequalities and the expansion of poverty pockets. The concept of human development and the Millennium Development Goals serve as a framework for governments to act on the challenges that all countries in the region are facing. UNDP is supporting governments to tailor the MDGs to their national circumstances in order to address their specific needs.

Addressing the needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations and increasing their development opportunities is a priority for UNDP in the region. Effective and efficient involvement, however, needs adequate data. National averages tend to blur real problems and hotspots - pockets of poverty, or areas or groups with high infant mortality or low educational rates. In order to be really policy-adequate and targeted, UNDP must address specific issues at levels and among groups where they occur. This means explicit focus on disaggregated socioeconomic data – one of the major focuses of this sub-practice.