We are delighted to announce that Juan Manuel Santos, Nobel Peace Laureate and former President of Colombia, who is currently a Visiting Professor at OPHI, will be launching his most recent book in a conversation with Tshering Tobgay, former Prime Minister of Bhutan. This special event will take place on Tuesday, 31st of October 2023, from 5 pm to 6.30 pm at Rhodes House, Oxford.

Professor Santos’ new book, titled The Battle against Poverty, Colombia: A Case of Leadership offers valuable insights into multidimensional poverty reduction in Colombia during the second decade of the 21st century. The book delves into the tools, policies, and programmes that were implemented in Colombia, guided by the Multidimensional Poverty Index, calculated using the Alkire-Foster Method.

The Battle Against Poverty vividly describes how greater social justice and multidimensional poverty reduction were achieved despite the challenging circumstances of war and peace negotiations. It emphasises the significance of leadership and the use of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) among other tools in developing and monitoring informed policies.

Tshering Tobgay, former Prime Minister of Bhutan, led a multi-pronged strategy during his term in office to enhance well-being, increase environmental sustainability, and reduce poverty among the Bhutanese population. By the end of his tenure, poverty in all its forms had been halved, and progress had been made in advancing wellbeing and improving environmental sustainability.

Both Professor Santos and Dasho Tshering Tobgay share a deep passion and commitment to equality, sustainability, and ending monetary and multidimensional poverty. The conversation will delve into the importance of leadership, as well as the critical role of high-quality measures and data in shaping well-informed policies and programmes for poverty reduction. These leaders will inspire the audience to view poverty reduction and the pursuit of the SDG Agenda not as mere checkboxes to tick off, but as actionable commitments toward creating a more equitable world for all.

Professor Sabina Alkire, the Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), will serve as the moderator for this enlightening conversation. Former Vice President of Costa Rica and Senior Public Policy Advisor at OPHI, Ana Helena Chacón will be inaugurating the MPI Ambassadors programme that recognises exceptional leadership and pioneering efforts in positioning the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) as a policy tool to reduce poverty in all its dimensions on a global scale.