4.2 POVERTY REDUCTION AND THE MDGs

4.2.1 Reducing Poverty for Minorities:

Minorities are among the poorest people in most countries. Poverty reduction strategies for minorities frequently lack thorough consideration of the root causes of poverty for minorities, in particular the role of discrimination. Table 3 shows some examples of how the entrenched poverty of minorities can negatively impact on overall development achievements in a country.

There is an urgent need to examine why minorities do not benefit equally from poverty reduction efforts and to respond with appropriate measures. More information on this point is found also in section 4.2.2 of this Guide on MDG 1 .


Table 3. How can overcoming poverty of minorities improve overall human development?
Selected factors in minority poverty Probable impact on national development Possible policy response
Discrimination in access to employment, to equal wages and to credit Higher unemployment; fewer (minority-led) businesses; lower human capital; weaker social cohesion; lower growth Adopt non-discrimination provisions
in labour laws; create employment tribunals; establish/monitor micro-credit support to minority businesses
Less access to land and less security in land rights Higher slum populations; less investment in land production by those with weak land security; lower growth Support to land titling; clear provisions on land rights; support resolution of land rights claims; where appropriate, enable communal land rights titling
Living in regions where there are fewer public services or employment Lower life expectancy; Higher levels of child and maternal mortality; higher rates of unemployment; lower levels of educational attainment; less trust in government institutions; lower growth; weaker social cohesion Increase resource investment in minority areas; provide incentives to professionals (e.g. teachers, doctors) for employment in services to minority areas; avoid involuntary displacement
of minority communities
Less access to
education and higher rates of illiteracy
across generations		 Lower levels of
educational attainment;
Fewer skilled labourers; lower human capital, especially in underdeveloped regions; weaker social cohesion; lower growth		 Monitor access to education for minorities; introduce adult education and skills training; support training
for teachers from minority groups; reform curricula for non-discrimination and inclusiveness
Less access to justice
to protect rights to employment, land and non-discrimination in accessing public services		 Weaker rule of law; less trust
in government institutions;
weaker social cohesion; lower human capital		 Monitor justice system for inequalities in access; training for justice sector
on non-discrimination and other minority rights

Lack of knowledge of dominant languages hindering access to markets or employment

Low levels of political representation to request equal access to budgetary resources

Less market trading; higher levels
of unemployment; less investment in human capital; lower growth

Less fair distribution of national resources; underdevelopment of minority regions; weak or absent minority input into national policy; less trust in government
institutions; lower growth;
weaker social cohesion

Ensure access to education for minorities; provide translation of public employment opportunities; support minority media for market information

Ensure freedom of association for minorities; reform electoral systems to ensure fair representation of minorities; support the development of parliamentary support networks for minority parliamentarians; ensure transparency in budgetary decision-making

Low levels of participation in development planning to articulate their specific needs Less effective development plans; increased inequality; less investment in human capital; less trust
in government institutions		 Ensure representation of minorities in development planning consultations; support to minority CSOs; information outreach to minority communities on development proposals
Failed resettlement plans that erode cultural livelihoods and community development Increased inequality; higher levels
of child and maternal mortality;
Lower life expectancy; loss of cultural diversity; weaker social cohesion		 Avoid involuntary displacement of minority communities; ensure representation of minorities in development planning consultations; provide support to traditional livelihoods and access to voluntary employment training opportunities

UNDP could support governments to ensure that minorities overcome poverty, including through the following measures.

Improving capacity to monitor poverty reduction for minorities:

Better data collection concerning the poverty of minorities can help reveal the causes of this poverty and monitor improvements. Collection of disaggregated data on minorities could provide important baseline information and the evidence to justify specially targeted programmes for minorities. UNDP could offer support to carrying out censuses and surveys that aim to gather information on the situation of minorities. This Guide provides tools for good practice in data collection with the full participation of minorities (see Chapter 9).

Facilitating the participation of minorities in designing poverty reduction strategies:

Marginalised minority groups should be included in stakeholder dialogues on poverty. They can offer important insights for strengthening poverty reduction strategies in a way that will target hard to reach pockets of poverty. Establishing theme groups to examine the specific situation of minorities can be particularly useful. UNDP could provide greater support to CSOs for minorities (such as travel funds, translation services, access to information) to enable them to participate in an informed manner in such dialogues.

Advocating for the improved human development of minority groups:

Raising awareness of minority issues is important. Certain National Human Development Reports (NHDRs) have proven effective in providing data that presents the case for greater action on improving the human development of minorities. NHDRs can create opportunities for dialogue on lesser known issues.

Governments could be assisted to undertake assessments of barriers and root causes of poverty among minorities. These barriers and causes will be context-specific and will usually require specially targeted intervention and/or adaptation of inclusive approaches to take account of minority-specific issues like cultural or religious identity and discrimination.


Back to top