Welcome to Poverty-Wellbeing.net

“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice… poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.” Nelson Mandela

More than one billion people in the world today live in extreme poverty, yet the concerns and needs of very poor people continue to feature insufficiently in the design of development policies. “Poverty” as defined on this website is not confined to a lack of economic resources, but also to an absence of the wider means to live in dignity – that is, education, health, a voice in decision-making over key life-affecting decisions, respect afforded by others, and security (including an ability to withstand shocks). Being poor is thus multidimensional, encompassing vulnerability and discrimination, and is as relevant in situations of humanitarian crisis and economic transition as it is in more general development discourse. See here for more information on our understanding of poverty »

Poverty-Wellbeing.net Consists of Three Main Sections

Current Poverty Issues :
This section highlights articles by development practitioners on current global debates and issues relating to poverty and wellbeing – including a discussion on the implications for field practice and for Swiss development policy. Issues include: Measuring & Analyzing Poverty, Pro-Poor Measures, MDGs & Post-2015, Empowerment, Discrimination & Inequality and Trends in Global Poverty.

Poverty & SDC’s Global Themes:
This section highlights global poverty debates related to SDC’s global thematic priorities as set out in the Swiss Federal Bill (2012). Themes include: Climate Change, Food Security, Migration, Water, Health, Conflict & Fragility, Gender and Governance.

Addressing Poverty in Practice:
This section provides resources to improve the poverty orientation and quality of programs, country strategies and projects, based upon SDC’s project cycle management (PCM) and reporting systems.

The Poverty–Wellbeing.net website is under mandate from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC, but the commentary is independent and does not necessarily represent the views of the Swiss Federation in all matters.