Bani Mustafa Opens Conference on Supporting Social Policies to Reduce Multidimensional Poverty in the Arab World

Al-Taj News – Minister of Social Development and Chairperson of the 45th Session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs Wafa Bani Mustafa on Wednesday opened the proceedings of the conference “Supporting Social Policies to Reduce Multidimensional Poverty in Arab Countries: Between Reality and Aspiration,” being held in Amman on September 23 and 24.

The conference is organized by the Department of Development and Social Policies within the Social Affairs Sector of the League of Arab States, in cooperation with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the Ministry of Social Development.

Bani Mustafa said that addressing poverty requires moving from addressing its effects to addressing its causes through proactive and integrated social policies that promote economic empowerment and social protection and provide decent and sustainable employment opportunities.

She noted that poverty is no longer viewed as being linked to income alone, but has become a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing education, health, nutrition, housing, basic services, decent work, and social protection. This has contributed to the development of more comprehensive tools for measuring poverty, foremost among them the Multidimensional Poverty Index, to direct policies and resources toward the most pressing needs.