§ The Earl of Sandwichasked Her Majesty's Government:
How they define the poorest group in a developing country to be targeted by international aid; what guidelines they give to the Department for International Development staff overseas on such target groups; and how often these are updated. [HL833]
§ Baroness AmosThe Department for International Development (DFID) recognises the multidimensional nature of poverty. These dimensions include income levels and assets, health, educational status and opportunity, political empowerment, and security. The International Development Targets (IDTs) set out in the 1997 White Paper on International Development go some way toward capturing all these aspects, and form the centrepiece of this Government's policy towards poverty elimination.
While the IDTs provide a useful focus, country level interventions need to be based on a detailed undertstanding of the particular situation facing the poor in each country. For DFID these interventions are outlined in its Country Strategy Papers. However, even with the best analysis and targeting, reaching the poorest in any community is always a major challenge.
DFID is developing and strengthening the existing guidance and training for all their staff—in the UK and overseas—to help ensure that poverty elimination remains at the centre of all the department's activities. In particular the guidance and training will:
- introduce staff to the dimensions of poverty in developing countries;
WA 74 - assist staff to understand and diagnose the key factors influencing poverty;
- help staff use the diagnosis to develop appropriate targeted country strategies.
We are planning to make enhanced guidance and training available to DFID staff this year. This will be updated on an ongoing basis.