Comments
Poverty in all its manifestations represents, in and of itself, a denial of rights, and eradicating poverty is a moral imperative for the region which governments must assume. The objective of reducing poverty also relates to the role that the factors of population dynamics play in policies designed to break cycles of poverty and exclusion. Not only is this the first measure called for in the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, it is also the substance of Sustainable Development Goal 1: 2 “end poverty in all its forms everywhere”. The call to put an end to all forms of discrimination is repeated throughout the Montevideo Consensus for various groups that have suffered exclusion and denial of their rights. This call to break the cycles of exclusion and inequality can also be found in Sustainable Development Goal 10, “reduce inequality within and among countries”. Although progress in reducing poverty is measured in all countries of the region, and will be subject to review under the Sustainable Development Goals, and there has been some forward movement in Latin America and the Caribbean in breaking the cycles of exclusion and inequality, better measurement tools are still needed. Accordingly, it is necessary to continue reviewing methodologies for measuring poverty and inequality in order to capture the complexity and national specificities of the issue. As well, knowledge of the role of population dynamics in terms of these goals is not sufficiently developed or disseminated, or appreciated by public policymakers.
