UNDP Human Development Report 2005 [Archives:2006/915/Front Page]
Much has been achieved since the first Human Development Report 15 years ago. On average, people in developing countries are healthier, better educated and less impoverished-and they are more likely to live in a multiparty democracy. Since 1990, life expectancy in developing countries has increased by two years. There are three million fewer child deaths annually and 30 million fewer children out of school. More than 130 million people have escaped extreme poverty. These human development gains should not be underestimated.
Every year, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) issues an international report on human development around the world. The way this annual report is prepared indicates the UN's view of human development.
Human development is about much more than the rise or fall of national incomes. It is about creating an environment in which people can develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accord with their needs and interests. People are the real wealth of nations. Thus, development is about expanding the choices people have to lead lives they value. And it is much more than economic growth, which is only a means-though a very important one-to expand people's choices.
Fundamental to expanding choices is building human capabilities-the range of things people can do or be in life. The most basic capabilities for human development are to lead long and healthy lives, be knowledgeable, have access to resources needed for a decent standard of living and be able to participate in community life. Without these, many choices simply are not available and many life opportunities remain inaccessible.
The 2005 Human Development Report takes stock of human development, including progress toward Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Looking beyond statistics, it highlights the human costs of missed targets and broken promises.
Extreme inequality between countries and within countries is identified as one of the main barriers to human development-and a powerful brake to accelerated progress toward MDGs.
The report is about the scale of the challenge facing the world at the start of the 10-year countdown to 2015. It focuses on what governments in rich countries can do to keep their side of the global partnership bargain. This does not imply that governments in developing countries have no responsibility. On the contrary, they have primary responsibility.
No amount of international cooperation can compensate for the actions of governments that fail to prioritize human development, respect human rights, tackle inequality or root out corruption. But without a renewed commitment to cooperation backed by practical action, MDGs will be missed-and the Millennium Declaration will go down in history as just one more empty promise.
The UNDP report focuses on three pillars of cooperation, each in urgent need of renovation. The first pillar is development assistance. International aid is a key investment in human development. Returns on that investment can be measured in human potential unleashed by averting avoidable sickness and deaths, educating all children, overcoming gender inequalities and creating conditions for sustained economic growth.
Development assistance suffers two problems: chronic under financing and poor quality. There have been improvements on both fronts, but much remains to be done to close MDG financing gaps and improve value for money.
The second pillar is international trade. Under the right conditions, trade can be a powerful catalyst for human development. The 2001 Doha 'Development Round' of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks provided rich countries' governments an opportunity to create those conditions.
Four years on, nothing of substance has been achieved. Rich country trade policies continue denying poor countries and poor people a fair share of global prosperity-flying in the face of the Millennium Declaration. More than aid, trade has the potential to increase the share of the world's poorest countries and people in global prosperity. Limiting that potential through unfair trade policies is inconsistent with a commitment to MDGs. More than that, it is unjust and hypocritical.
The third pillar is security. Violent conflict blights the lives of hundreds of millions of people. It is a source of systematic human rights violation and a barrier to progress toward MDGs.
The nature of conflict has changed and new threats to collective security have emerged. In an increasingly interconnected world, threats posed by failure to prevent conflict or seize opportunities for peace inevitably cross national borders.
More effective international cooperation could help remove the barrier to MDG progress created by violent conflict, creating the conditions for accelerated human development and real security.
Renovation must occur simultaneously on each pillar of international cooperation. Failure in any one area will undermine the foundations for future progress.
More effective international trade rules will count for little in countries where violent conflict blocks opportunities to participate in trade. Increased aid without fairer trade rules will deliver sub-optimal results. And peace without the prospect of improved human welfare and poverty reduction through aid and trade will remain fragile.
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