Given the multifaceted and interconnected character of poverty, there is a growing awareness of the need for a range of policies that are specific to the problems faced by different communities and countries. Targeted policies have the most effect when they act in combination to break the poverty cycle. One of the most encouraging aspects of the new approach to poverty eradication is therefore the emphasis on policy coherence based on a comprehensive development framework. In attempting to make sure that the international community acts coherently, it is vital to ensure that poverty reduction strategies are owned and directed by communities and nations living with poverty. Coherence should not be imposed. A “one-size-fits-all” approach has not worked and will not work. We must enable communities and countries to freely create and choose from a range of policy options to meet their priorities.
The twin principles of ownership and participation that must underlie a successful global strategy for poverty reduction imply a substantial degree of decentralization of decisions about priorities, both to countries and, within countries, to communities. However, decentralization without empowerment will keep people trapped in poverty and vulnerable to the arbitrary exercise of power by local elites or inside the home. The foundations for effective ownership and participation in policies and programmes for poverty reduction are the liberty to organize, the power that collective action gives to individuals, and conditions under which real freedom of choice is possible. In a very profound way, it requires a new sense of respect for the opinion of people living in poverty by governments and international organizations.
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