The General Economics Division (GED) organized an inception meeting on “Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)” on 9 September 2026 at the NEC Conference Room, Bangladesh Planning Commission. The meeting was graced by the Hon’ble State Minister for Planning, Mr. Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki, as the Chief Guest and chaired by Dr. Monzur Hossain, Member (Secretary), GED. Ms. Gillian Mellsop, Representative ad interim, UNICEF Bangladesh, and Mr. Md. Firoz Sarker, Secretary, Statistics and Informatics Division (SID), attended the event as special guests. Dr. Sabina Alkire, Director, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), delivered a presentation on the way forward for developing the National Multidimensional Poverty Index for Bangladesh based on the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2025. The meeting discussed the objectives and expected outcomes of the updated MPI based on MICS 2025 data, including its role in strengthening evidence-based poverty reduction, child-focused policy action, development planning, social protection, and resource allocation. The updated MPI is expected to be completed by the end of 2026 and contribute to institutionalizing multidimensional poverty measurement as a regular tool for evidence-based policy and planning in Bangladesh.