§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to monitor the impact of the global economic crisis on people living in poverty in developing countries. [58163]
§ Clare ShortMy Department is extremely concerned about the impact of the global economic crisis on poverty which is already severe in many countries, notably Indonesia. Our monitoring of the impact overall relies on work being undertaken by the International Financial Institutions, especially the World Bank, supplemented by work by UK and other academic researchers. Reliable country level data on poverty impact are limited, but the latest forecasts for growth in trade and overall economic growth indicate that the crisis is already having a severe and negative impact overall on global economic performance with adverse implications for poor people in developing countries.