MDGs and Assets

he United Nations (UN) Millennium Deve lopmen t Goa ls (MDGs) represent a path-breaking global effort to combat poverty and human deprivation. In comparison with prior attempts, the MDGs are unique in symbolising the first ever global long-term agreement to combat the multiple dimensions of poverty (Sumner & Tiwari 2009), while providing national policymakers with comprehensive and timebound goals, targets and indicators (Hulme 2010). Meanwhile, the MDGs are widely criticised as top-down poverty reduction guidelines which fail to take into account the context specific needs of the poor. Furthermore, policy makers often implement only single MDG targets and fail to address the MDGs in their entirety. This briefing paper explores the extent to which the incorporation of an asset accumulation framework into the MDGs and related policy interventions can assist in overcoming the outlined criticisms. The paper starts by summarising the asset accumulation framework. It then discusses how assets are already incorporated in the conceptual design of the MDGs and in MDGs-related national poverty reduction initiatives. Finally, opportunities of incorporating assets into the MDGs are discussed.