Reducing Poverty and Sustaining Growth Global Learning Process and Shanghai Conference On Scaling up Poverty-Reduction

Progress in poverty reduction since 1970s Improvement in the basics for long-term development: Nation-building Democratization GDP per capita growth Urbanization Social indicators—Education & Health

GDP per capita, PPP (current international $) GDP growth GDP per capita, PPP (current international $) GDP per capita in SSA has doubled since 1975; in South Asia it has grown by sixfold; in MNA almost threefold; LAC more than threefold; EAP by 13. WB 2003

Reaching the Millennium Development Goals Worldwide the number and proportion of people living in extreme poverty declined slightly through the 1990s Need to accelerate the rate of poverty reduction and improvement in other areas of welfare if the Millennium Development Goals are to be reached Poverty level down since 1990, but progress is uneven: There were at least 137 million fewer people living in extreme poverty at the decade’s end than at its beginning. And if projected growth remains on track, global poverty rates will fall to 13 percent – less than half the 1990 level – and 366 million more people will avert extreme poverty. But rapid progress in Asia and a return to pre-transition poverty levels in Europe and Central Asia will do nothing to alleviate the crushing burden of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 360 million people will continue to live on less than $1 a day.

More is needed: Millennium Development Goals Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger  Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality and empower women Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases Ensure environmental sustainability Develop a global partnership for development

Learning from Successful Experiences Sustained growth and poverty-reduction results in some countries provides hope that progress in other countries is possible CHALLENGE: learn from what works and what does not across the world: This is the main purpose of the Shanghai learning process Results in countries such as China, pockets of success in India, elsewhere in Asia, and in other countries of the world provide hope that scaling up is possible

Global Learning Process and Conference in Shanghai Learn from successful and failed efforts in poverty-reduction: Case Studies (70+) Share experiences and insights into the process of scaling up Global Dialogues (video and online – 20+) Field Visits (Indonesia, Uganda, Yemen, Brazil, Turkey, India, Bangladesh and China) Draw out common elements of programs that have allowed successful poverty reduction: Conference in Shanghai

Purpose of today’s Dialogue Discuss the experiences of Chile and Poland in the 1990s: Remarkable results in growth, income per capita increases and poverty-reduction They achieved these results in a democratic framework And sustained these reform efforts over time

Case studies – Chile Between 1990 and 2000, poverty was reduced from 40% to 20% of the population

Case studies – Poland Strong poverty reduction in the 90s

Main Questions What were the key elements of success in these two reform programs? External catalysts Government leadership Institutional underpinnings Key policies for success What allowed their sustainability over time? What lessons can be drawn from these case studies?

Shanghai Conference Website www.reducingpoverty.org