The Commission on Poverty (CoP) released the Report on Impact of Targeted Poverty Alleviation Strategy in Hong Kong (the Report) today (June 18), which summarises the Government’s key measures and achievements since the introduction of the targeted poverty alleviation strategy in 2022. The Report presents key data on the target groups for poverty alleviation efforts and the outcomes of relevant measures. Oxfam Hong Kong (OHK) acknowledges the Government’s efforts and the progress made under different targeted poverty alleviation measures. We believe that providing support to people living in poverty among groups in need is of utmost importance. Going forward, we hope the CoP will make full use of the existing 21 macro monitoring indicators, expand the coverage of targeted poverty alleviation to additional vulnerable groups in a timely manner, and use these indicators to guide resource allocation, programme planning, and evaluation. This would not only provide stronger evidence base and a clearer direction for civil society and the business sector but also facilitate cross-sector collaboration to advance poverty alleviation, poverty combat, and poverty prevention.

We recommend establishing a clearer framework for future poverty alleviation policy along the following three directions:

1. Continuously refine the Identification Framework to Broaden Policy Coverage

The Report adopts a broader analytical perspective by examining poverty across 7 domains and 21 macro indicators, while also incorporating concepts such as Social Transfer Value. This reflects a welcome shift from a purely income-based approach towards a more multidimensional understanding of poverty and need.

At present, however, the analytical framework begins with already identified groups, namely elderly households, single-parent households, and households residing in subdivided units (SDUs), and then analyses their circumstances through the 21 macro indicators. This approach is useful in concentrating resources on groups facing elevated risks. Nevertheless, if the Government is to further strengthen policy foresight and broaden coverage and better realise the goal of “early identification and targeted support”, the framework should continue to evolve by incorporating additional indicators that reflect different forms of vulnerability, such as gender, ethnicity, and physical condition. This would enable a more comprehensive understanding of the poverty risks associated with different demographic characteristics and living conditions and help identify vulnerable groups that may otherwise be overlooked, including low-income women, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and students with special educational needs. In turn, this would strengthen both poverty alleviation and poverty prevention efforts.

2. Strengthen the Linkage between Targeted Poverty Alleviation Programmes and the 21 Macro Indicators

Following its analysis of specific groups, the Government provides support based on the multiple hardships or resource constraints they face. The Report highlights initiatives such as Community Living Rooms, the Strive and Rise Programme, and a range of measures for all-elderly households, illustrating an approach that goes beyond cash assistance to address different aspects of daily life, including housing, education, and health.

That said, the linkage between existing targeted poverty alleviation programmes and the 21 macro indicators used to identify target groups remains insufficiently articulated. The Government should explain more clearly which indicators have been improved through current programmes and which areas still require further intervention, so that the public can better assess policy effectiveness.

We also suggest drawing on and adapting international frameworks, such as the “Better Life Index” developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), to incorporate a wider range of dimensions in assessing individual and household well-being, covering both material living conditions and overall quality of life. Based on the needs of different groups, the Government, business, and NGOs could strengthen collaboration and develop targeted social projects, integrate district-based programmes, and establish regular, systematic policy measures in order to maximize the impact of social welfare resources.

3. The Current Framework has Limitations in Identifying High-risk Individuals; Greater Use of Income Indicators is needed to Strengthen Poverty Prevention

The Report seeks to demonstrate how major Government policies contribute to poverty alleviation, poverty combat, and poverty prevention. We agree that universal policies, including the Social Security Allowance Scheme, together with targeted poverty alleviation programmes, can complement one another by providing a basic safety net for the great majority of the population while also strengthening people’s ability to move out of poverty through empowerment.

However, the current framework could make better use of the “income” dimension within the 21 macro indicators to identify high-risk individuals more effectively and to inform more targeted poverty prevention policies before households fall into poverty.

We concur with the CoP’s observation that previous mechanisms for measuring poverty have certain limitations. In our view, poverty measurement should continue to evolve in response to changing social and demographic conditions. For instance, our 2024 study, “The Path of Targeted Poverty Alleviation in Hong Kong: What Changes and What Doesn’t in the Poverty Line”, proposes refinements to income-based poverty measurement, including analysing elderly households separately and converting household assets into annuity-equivalent estimates of monthly disposable income. Such refinements would help define high-risk individuals more accurately within the income dimension and support a stronger interface between welfare policy and labour policy, thereby enhancing poverty prevention.

Conclusion

In summary, we believe the Report is a policy-relevant document that provides important performance indicators and policy directions for Hong Kong’s annual Policy Address, the Budget, and the current-term planning agenda. We therefore hope future reports will continue, within a clear and consistent framework, to identify and publish data on people experiencing poverty and related population characteristics, while also analysing and evaluating the effectiveness of poverty alleviation and poverty relief measures from multiple perspectives. This would help the Government respond more effectively to the needs of different vulnerable groups in policymaking, implementation, and resource allocation, and ultimately enhance overall social well-being.

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