The UNDP’s Human Development Report 2013: The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World indicates Global South Shows Major Gains. But still Least Developed. South- South Collaboration for improving HDI needs to be explored.
Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite estimate of national development that includes indicators along three dimensions; life expectancy, educational attainment and command over the resources needed for a decent living.
The 2013 Report identifies four specific areas of focus for sustaining development momentum: enhancing equity, including on the gender dimension; enabling greater voice and participation of citizens, including youth; confronting environmental pressures; and managing demographic change.
In 2012, the global average of HDI value was 0.694. Among the developing regions, Europe and Central Asia had the highest HDI value (0.771) followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (0.741). The average HDI value was lowest for Sub-Saharan Africa (0.475) followed by South Asia (0.558).
Among the member countries of PPD in Asia-pacific region, in 2012; (Table 1. Trends of Human Development Index (HDI) in PPD Member Countries, 1990-2012) the HDI value was highest for China (0.699) and lowest for Bangladesh and Pakistan (0.515). During the period from 1990 to 2000, the average annual HDI growth ranged from highest 1.98% in Viet Nam to lowest 0.89% in Pakistan. During 2000 to 2012, the average annual HDI growth ranged from 1.74% in Pakistan to 0.82% in Thailand.
Among the member countries of PPD in Sub-Saharan Africa, in 2012; the HDI value was highest for South Africa (0.629) and was lowest for Mali (0.344). During the period from 1990 to 2000, Mali and Uganda achieved over 2% average annual HDI growth (2.86% and 2.06%, respectively). During 2000 to 2012, Ethiopia achieved highest annual HDI growth (3.09%) followed by Mali (2.04%).
In the member countries of PPD in MENA region, the HDI value was highest for Tunisia (0.712) followed by Jordan (0.700), Egypt (0.662), Morocco (0.591) and Yemen (0.458) in 2012. During the period between 1990 to 2000; the average annual HDI growth ranged from 2.78% in Yemen to 0.95% in Jordan. During 2000-2012, the average annual growth was highest in Yemen (1.66%) and was lowest in Jordan (0.62%).
Compare to other regional member countries, Colombia and Mexico, the two member countries of PPD in LA and Caribbean had better HDI values (0.719 and 0.775, respectively) in 2012. The average annual HDI growth was 0.93% for Colombia and 1% for Mexico during the period from 1990 to 2000. During 2000-2012, the average annual HDI growths were 0.75% and 0.59%, respectively.
The Report also suggests that as global development challenges become more complex and transboundary in nature, coordinated action on the most pressing challenges of our era, whether they be poverty eradication, climate change, or peace and security, is essential. As countries are increasingly interconnected through trade, migration, and information and communications technologies, it is no surprise that policy decisions in one place have substantial impacts elsewhere. The crises of recent years—food, financial, climate— which have blighted the lives of so many point to this, and to the importance of working to reduce people’s vulnerability to shocks and disasters.
Health is increasingly becoming the core concern of development. The findings of the report is an indication that in the coming years, the practice of health diplomacy may need to develop additional body of knowledge and become a mature discipline.
Table 1. Trends of Human Development Index (HDI) in PPD Member Countries, 1990-2012
|
HDI 1990
|
HDI 2000
|
HDI 2012
|
Average annual HDI growth 1990-2000 % |
Average annual HDI growth 2000-2012 % |
HDI Ranking of PPD MCs in 2012 |
|
| Asia-Pacific | ||||||
| Bangladesh |
0.361 |
0.433 |
0.515 |
1.83 |
1.46 |
146 |
| China |
0.495 |
0.590 |
0.699 |
1.78 |
1.42 |
101 |
| India |
0.410 |
0.463 |
0.554 |
1.23 |
1.50 |
136 |
| Indonesia |
0.479 |
0.540 |
0.629 |
1.21 |
1.28 |
121 |
| Pakistan |
0.383 |
0.419 |
0.515 |
0.89 |
1.74 |
146 |
| Thailand |
0.569 |
0.625 |
0.690 |
0.94 |
0.82 |
103 |
| Viet Nam |
0.439 |
0.534 |
0.617 |
1.98 |
1.22 |
127 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | ||||||
| Benin |
0.314 |
0.380 |
0.436 |
1.95 |
1.14 |
166 |
| Ethiopia |
- |
0.275 |
0.396 |
- |
3.09 |
173 |
| Gambia |
0.323 |
0.360 |
0.439 |
1.09 |
1.65 |
165 |
| Ghana |
0.427 |
0.461 |
0.558 |
0.77 |
1.60 |
135 |
| Kenya |
0.463 |
0.447 |
0.519 |
-0.33 |
1.24 |
145 |
| Mali |
0.204 |
0.270 |
0.344 |
2.86 |
2.04 |
182 |
| Nigeria |
- |
- |
0.471 |
- |
- |
153 |
| Senegal |
0.368 |
0.405 |
0.470 |
0.97 |
1.25 |
154 |
| South Africa |
0.621 |
0.622 |
0.629 |
0.01 |
0.11 |
121 |
| Uganda |
0.306 |
0.375 |
0.456 |
2.06 |
1.65 |
161 |
| Zimbabwe |
0.427 |
0.376 |
0.397 |
-1.26 |
0.46 |
172 |
| MENA | ||||||
| Egypt |
0.502 |
0.593 |
0.662 |
1.68 |
0.92 |
112 |
| Jordan |
0.592 |
0.650 |
0.700 |
0.95 |
0.62 |
100 |
| Morocco |
0.440 |
0.512 |
0.591 |
1.54 |
1.20 |
130 |
| Tunisia |
0.553 |
0.642 |
0.712 |
1.51 |
0.86 |
94 |
| Yemen |
0.286 |
0.376 |
0.458 |
2.78 |
1.66 |
160 |
| LA and Caribbean | ||||||
| Colombia |
0.600 |
0.658 |
0.719 |
0.93 |
0.75 |
91 |
| Mexico |
0.654 |
0.745 |
0.775 |
1.00 |
0.59 |
61 |
Source: Human Development Report 2013, The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World, http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2013_EN_complete.pdf