The Australian Government has invested $9.5 million over four years in a world-first gender-sensitive and multidimensional measure of poverty, the Individual Deprivation Measure (IDM). The announcement was made during the Australasian Aid Conference 2017 in Canberra on Wednesday by the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Hon Julie Bishop MP.
The initiative is a partnership between the Australian National University (ANU), International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and will help to fill the data gap when it comes to intra-household inequality globally.
Joanne Crawford from the International Women’s Development Agency highlighted the significance of this new measure, noting that it places Australia at the forefront of global efforts to improve data in development, particularly in relation to gender.
“Understanding the nature and depth of poverty experienced by individuals allows us to make strategic choices and prioritise investment where it can make most impact”, Ms Crawford commented.
The IDM shows us how particular groups and populations are disadvantaged by intersecting barriers and deprivations. These insights provide the data and evidence to enable more focused policy and action.
Joanne Crawford, IWDA
The announcement of this new funding commitment by the Government was warmly welcomed by participants at the Australasian Aid Conference, and followed up by an interactive panel session which further explored the plans and potential for the application of the IDM.
To learn more about the Individual Deprivation Measure, go to http://individualdeprivationmeasure.org/
