This publication analyses the role played by conditional cash transfer (CCT) or "co-responsibility" programmes. These programmes are among the main instruments used over the past 15 years to combat poverty in the region and have attracted attention and been replicated beyond its borders. Their purpose is to halt the intergenerational transmission of poverty by developing human capacities in the most vulnerable families. To that end, they deliver direct monetary transfers, subject to certain conditionalities relating to school attendance and health checks. Thus, CCTs not only help to reduce income poverty but also contribute to human-capacity-building, a key asset for the sustainable development and progress of our societies.