1. Work on poverty in the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia By Nadine Shaar Social Development Division ESCWA Regional workshop on poverty statistics in the Western Asia, November 2004

2. Background World Summit for Social Development (1995) Time frame (6 years) Phase 1: Measurement, characteristics and determinants of poverty Phase 2: Evaluation of poverty measures in ESCWA region Phase 3: Operational policies to combat poverty

3. Activities undertaken by ESCWA Eradicating poverty series (14) Capacity building initiatives MDGs

4. Title of the studyMain objective 1. Poverty in Western Asia: A social perspective - Assessment of poverty situation - Focus on social dimensions of poverty: population, employment, health and education 2. Poverty in Lebanon- Characteristics and determinant of poverty (unemployment and war) - No well defined policy to combat poverty (e.g. wage, employment - Government policy (solely based on currency stabilization and reconstruction)

5. Title of the studyMain objective 3. Measuring poverty in ESCWA region - Estimate of poverty in ESCWA region using unified methodology (based on private consumption, nutritional intake, enrolment in primary education and IMR - 27% of population in ESCWA live blow the poverty line in 1992 - 47% of Yemenis and 45% of Iraqis are poor

6. Title of the studyMain objective 4. Poverty in Iraq: Pre and post Gulf War - Effects of Gulf war and sanctions on Iraq’s economy - Poverty is determined by the extent of natural resources and their management, as well as the ability to utilize these resources along with the human ones into income generating activities 5. Social integration after the War in Lebanon - Socio-economic characteristics which prevailed before the war - Effect of war (migration, increase in unemployment, geographical disparities)

7. Title of the studyMain objective 6. Database on poverty in ESCWA region - Bibliography of 85 references on poverty 7. Poverty in West Bank and Gaza Strip: Preliminary attempt to estimate size, characteristics and determinants - Effects of sanctions and war on the wellbeing of Palestinians - Unemployment as main determinant of poverty - 25% of families live below poverty line in 1996

8. Title of the studyMain objective 8. Proceeding of the EGM on improvement of the standard of living in Al-Mashreq countries (Nov 1997) - Research papers submitted during the EGM - 3 focus areas (external determinants of poverty, direct and indirect measurement of poverty, national policies to eradicate poverty) 9. Sectoral policies for combating poverty in Lebanon in the mid- nineties: Health and education sectors - Heath and education sectors - National health strategy (4 levels) - Improving quality of education in public schools and the accessibility of poor to this sector

9. Title of the studyMain objective 10. Poverty reduction policies in Jordan and Lebanon: An overview - Explores policies put in place by government to combat poverty - Two conditions: pro-poor economic development strategy and good governance 11. Poverty reduction policies in Egypt: An overview - Analysis of levels, trends and sources of poverty in Egypt - Strategies at macro, meso and micro levels

10. Title of the studyMain objective 12. The role of micro-credit in poverty alleviation: Profile of the micro-credit sector in Lebanon - Role of micro finance as an effective tool for improving living standards - Different lending schemes and key players 13. Evaluation of socio-economic effects of the programme of productive families and trust fund executed by the Ministry of Social Development in Jordan - Socioeconomic effects of the programmes ( impact on beneficiaries) - Men benefited from programme of productive families, majority of lower education and high age group - Women of younger age groups used trust fund programme

11. Title of the studyMain objective 14. Proceedings of the EGM on governance, socio-economic development and poverty alleviation (Nov 2001) - Final report and expert papers submitted during the EGM - Main purpose is to raise awareness on governance and its relation to poverty alleviation - Policies are effective if they are supported by legitimate government acting on principles of democracy, law and transparency

12. Title of the studyMain objective Poverty and its measurement in the ESCWA region - Focus on two measures of poverty: human and income - 5% of ESCWA population suffer from income poverty - 26% of population experience the human poverty

13. Capacity building 1.EGM on poverty statistics (Sept 2002) 2.Forum on technology, employment and poverty alleviation in the Arab countries (July 2002)

14. Future work 1.MDGs report of ESCWA region: According to the report it is unlikely that Iraq, Palestine and Yemen will be able to reduce by half the proportion of people living below 1$ a day. 2.Field projects: community development, integrating social development policies in ESCWA region

15. Current status of poverty statistics in ESCWA region Scarcity of data Lack of political will (absence of policies) Main purpose is to estimate consumption level and family expenditure (SNA) and NOT to measure poverty Difficulty to make comparison among countries (different years, groups, aggregate figures) Main data sources: Household and expenditure surveys

16. Poverty is defined by the cost of unmet basic needs Unit of measurement: household /individual Share of income or expenditure (standard of living) Absolute poverty line (food basket) Level of expenditure/consumption necessary to provide adequate diet and basic necessities of life Selected characteristics of age, sex, education status, marital status and household characteristics (Egypt, Yemen, Palestine)