The geography of poverty has changed — and the development paradigm is shifting to adapt to this new reality.
Instead of rich donors giving money to poor countries, the majority of poor people are now in middle-income countries aspiring to become much richer like China or India. International nongovernmental organizations are thus “focusing more on inequality and dealing with poverty amidst riches in growth,” according to Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International.
“We are trying now to focus on how do you make growth inclusive. How to ensure that as a country is moving up, it’s lifting all its people out of poverty, and that’s different from taking money from rich countries to save those people in poor countries,” she told Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar at the European Development Days in Brussels.