LINKING ODA TO THE MPI: NORMATIVE CONSIDERATIONS FOR REGISTERING AND ASSESSING ODA FLOWS FOR REAL POVERTY ERADICATION IN LATIN AMERICA USING THE MPI 1 . José María Larrú Universidad CEU San Pablo, Madrid, Spain larram@ceu.es Abstract: The paper starts from the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) methodology and measures (Santos et al. 2015) available, and uses them to compare the current disbursements of Official Development Aid with MPI deprivations and indicators. In particular, the six deprivation dimensions are matched with the current sectorial classifications contained in the OECD-CRS database. This empirical exercise allows making a comparison between ODA donors’ current disbursements (priorities) and normative disbursements if MPI were taken as the rule in order to attain the objective of real poverty eradication. Important political consequences of this counterfactual exercise are deduced: Latin American development agencies (ministries or departments) should start to register ODA flows using the multidimensional poverty dimensions (housing, basic services, standard of living, education, and employment and social protection); donors (both North-South and South-South Cooperation) should focus their resources and priorities on the MPI structure, increasing the ownership of the development strategy and interventions; this information and way of delivery may allow for an evaluation of ODA flows more focused on the impact on poverty, in line with Busan’s recommendations and the post-2015 development agenda (SDG 1). Key words: human development; foreign aid; multidimensional poverty index; normative scenario, ownership. 1 Background paper for Human Development Report in Latin America and the Caribbean 2016. Policy Research Paper. Area 3: Policy best practice on multidimensional poverty.