About Poverty Action Platform
Tackling the multifaceted issue of poverty, the ASCC R&D Platform on Poverty Action focuses on identifying effective strategies and interventions to reduce poverty across ASEAN. It combines research on economic policies, social programs, and sustainable development to propose actionable solutions that aim to improve livelihoods and economic opportunities for all ASEAN citizens.
The ongoing ASCC Research and Development Platform on Poverty Action has identified several key findings
Multidimensional nature of poverty
The first key trend is the increasing awareness to recognize poverty as multidimensional issue that is closely interrelated with other aspects such as health, gender, environment.
Environmental changes such as climate change, increasing number of aging populations, COVID-19 pandemic, and gender disparity are some of the factors that affect current poverty state in the region.
Poverty alleviation strategies need comprehensive understanding of the complexities and multidimensional aspects of poverty to create appropriate and effective poverty measures that can bridge gaps on the current poverty alleviation efforts and foster a collaborative and integrated approach on poverty alleviation.
Digitalisation and digital transformation for poverty eradication
Rapid technological advancement brings more opportunities for poverty alleviation as well as contributes to financial inclusion in rural areas, as access to financial services helps people to build financial wealth and enhance human capital. Despite positive changes brought by digitalisation, there are several challenges and barriers that need to be addressed, such as unequal access to digital technology, low digital literacy, and risk of cybercrimes.
To address those challenges and barriers, ASEAN needs to continue Improving and expanding digital access across regions and to actualise the full potential of digitalisation in poverty alleviation efforts. ASEAN also needs to establish strong policies to manage the risks of cybercrimes and misuse of technology, as well as improving digital literacy and digital capacities of the people.
