As U.N. member countries continue discussions regarding new sustainable development goals, targets and indicators to replace the expiring Millennium Development Goals, it is helpful to remember the story of former World Bank President Robert McNamara’s quest for poverty data.
The story goes that in the late 1970s, while reading the first U.N. World Development Report, McNamara was astonished to discover that there was poverty data for only a handful of countries.
His response changed history.
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About the author
Diana Fletschner
Diana Fletschner is senior director of research, monitoring and evaluation with Landesa, a global development nonprofit that works to secure land rights for the world’s poor women and men. Follow us @Landesa_Global and visit http://landpost2015.landesa.org/
