Over a decade ago, Sabina Alkire and James Foster developed the Alkire-Foster (AF) method, a flexible technique for measuring multidimensional poverty, inequality, and wellbeing that goes beyond one-dimensional approaches to measure poverty such as income or consumption. Since then, the AF method has been widely used by governments, development agencies, NGOs, and even the private sector to build multidimensional measures grounded in people’s experiences and values, tailored to specific contexts. These multidimensional measures have been proven to be powerful tools to design and coordinate policies, allocate resources, and target beneficiaries.

The Business Multidimensional Poverty Index (bMPI), developed by the Costa Rican Association Horizonte Positivo is used by companies to measure the multidimensional poverty of workers and their households. Using the bMPI, companies can create initiatives that go beyond income to improve the lives of their employees. In 2020, Horizonte Positivo recognized eight firms in Costa Rica for their successful implementation of the bMPI programme.

In December 2020, the League of Arab States Social Ministerial Council endorsed the ESCWA-proposed Revised Arab MPI framework as a formal tool for monitoring and tracking multidimensional poverty, and the basis for the second interagency report on multidimensional poverty in Arab countries. This article briefly reviews the process that led to its formal adoption, the structure of the index, and the profile of poverty in Arab countries according to this index.

The 2030 Agenda set clear goals for sustainable development. In order to ‘end poverty in all its forms everywhere’, countries need to secure long-term improvements across multiple areas of life including health, education, living standards, and employment, among others. This requires governments to go beyond reducing acute deprivations and work to guarantee enhanced livelihoods for all*.