International Poverty Centre

Established in 2004 in Brasilia, the International Poverty Centre (IPC) is a global centre for applied research and training on poverty. It is based on a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme and the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), which is linked to the Government of Brazil. The IPC aims to expand developing countries' knowledge and capacities to design and implement effective policies against poverty. As part of UNDP’s effort to decentralize its key practice areas, IPC is committed to provide specialised advice to partners in the developing world and to facilitate knowledge sharing. IPC focuses its applied research on two major areas: The Measurement and Monitoring of Poverty and Inequality, and Pro-Poor and Inequality-Reducing Policies. Within the first broad area, IPC focuses on the Assessment of Inequality and its Impact on Poverty. Within the second broad area, it focuses on Pro-Poor Growth, and Social Protection. Its main publications are Working Papers, Poverty In Focus Magazine, One Pagers, Policy Research Briefs, Country Studies, Training Modules, Conference Papers, Evaluation Notes, and Technical Papers. One of IPC's major areas of focus is low-income countries, where it has linked its applied research to UNDP's increasing support for MDG-based development strategies. Set up explicitly as a forum for South-South cooperation, IPC is also strengthening its collaboration with researchers and governments in major developing countries. The IPC also offers training programmes to stakeholders from developing countries, organizes international conferences and workshops, offers a resident fellowship programme, and organizes advisory missions to developing countries. IPC is setting up a Global Directory of Contacts that currently gathers more than 13,000 selected contacts in 164 countries which receive publications by e-mail, as well as information on IPC activities and projects.