This year edition of the HDReport is focused on climate change and how it will create long-run low human development traps, pushing vulnerable people into a downward spiral of deprivation. The failure to respond to this challenge will stall and then reverse international efforts to reduce poverty. Also, there is useful information of the 2007/2008 Human Development Index rankings.
The 7.7% growth forecast for 2006 represents a 0.5 percentage point increase from the April forecast. This upward revision of the Asian Development Outlook 2006 significantly reflects accelerated growth in the People Republic of China due to booming investments and exports.
The improved global economic environment for many developing countries -- including the current upswing in some nations resulting from high demand for oil and other raw materials, and the expanded manufacturing prowess of others, such as China -- needs to be turned into a dynamic process of economic growth and structural change that creates employment and raises living standards over the long term, the new UNCTAD report says
The 2006 Commitment to Development Index (CDI) ranks 21 rich countries on how well they help poor countries. Each rich country gets scores in seven policy areas, which are averaged for an overall score
The Department for International Development (DFID) launched its new White Paper on 13 July. The document sets our DFID’s priorities and explains how the department will work with the rest of the UK Government, partner governments, international organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), academics and the private sector to reduce world poverty over the next five years
The Millennium Development Goals Report is based on a master set of data that has been compiled by an Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators led by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN Secretariat. This year report presents the latest assessment on how far Member States have come, and how far they have to go in reaching the MDGs, in each of the world’s regions
The Euro-African Ministerial Conference on migration and development, proposed initially by Morocco and Spain with an active support of France, ended on 11 July in Rabat after adopting a final declaration and a plan of action advocating a partnership for an optimal management of migratory flows in a spirit of shared responsibility
The WESS is a publication of the UN Development Policy and Analysis Division (DPAD), which provides objective analysis of pressing long-term social and economic development issues, and discusses the positive and negative impact of corresponding policies. Diverging growth and development is the theme of 2006 report, which shows that in the industrialized world the income level over the last five decades has grown steadily. This has not occurred in many developing countries, thereby causing a rise in already high world inequality
UN Development Programme (UNDP) released on 29 June the Asia-Pacific Human Development Report: Trade on Human Terms, the first in a new annual series. The document stresses that developing countries of Asia and the Pacific need bold new domestic policies in order to benefit from free trade, and industrialized economies should back fairer trade rules giving poorer nations the chance to compete in the global marketplace
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan Report presented to the General Assembly on May 2006. In this document, Kofi Annan proposed a standing forum led by all 191 Member States which governments could use to share ideas and discuss best practices and policies related to international migration and how this phenomenon ties in with global development
The USAID has adopted a new policy framework to implement transformational diplomacy through development. It affirms that this federal agency will seek to use bilateral foreign assistance to build toward a safer, more secure, democratic and prosperous world in order to enhance U.S. national security. Implementing this policy will make U.S. bilateral aid more effective and better coordinated with other U.S. Government policies and programs
The World Bank (WB) GDF 2006 report says net private capital flows to developing countries reached a record high of US$491 billion in 2005, driven by privatizations, mergers and acquisitions, external debt refinancing, as well as strong investor interest in local-currency bond markets in Asia and Latin America. The document also shows that capital flows between developing countries are now growing faster than those between developed and developing countries particularly in FDI
This is an independent report –about the system of delivering aid- carried out by the University of Birmingham on behalf of more than thirty donor and partner countries. The joint evaluation looks at the use and effectiveness of the direct payments, also known as general budget support, by drawing on the experience of seven countries over five years: Burkina Faso, Malawi, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Uganda, and Vietnam
This Amnesty International Report -presented on 23 March in London- says that “2005 was defined by hope wrestling against the duplicity, double speak and failed promises of governments”. The document shows that 104 countries out of the 150 countries analysed have tortured or ill-treated people. Guantánamo prison camp, Darfur’s crisis, the “war on terror” and growing human rights deficit in Europe are also highlighted as key factors in 2005
The third annual Global Monitoring Report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) highlights economic growth, more and better quality aid, and trade reforms, as well as governance as essential elements to achieve MDGs. Published jointly by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the 2006 edition records significant progress attained on several fronts. But it also underlines that progress is incomplete, too slow, and, above all too disparate. A number of countries are likely not to achieve these goals, in many cases for lack of means, but also due to lack of “good governance”
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. European institutions -such as Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the European Union’s European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), and the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) - make a joint statement on this occasion
Assessment of countries' capacity to monitor MDG indicators. Documents for the thirty-seventh session of the Statistical Comisión, New York, 7 to 10 March 2006
Every year, the world spends more than US $3 trillion on health services, most of which is financed by taxpayers. These large flows of funds are an attractive target for abuse. The stakes are high and the resources precious: money lost to corruption could be used to buy medicines, equip hospitals or hire badly needed medical staff. The diversity of health systems worldwide, the multiplicity of parties involved, the paucity of good record keeping in many countries, and the complexity in distinguishing among corruption, inefficiency and honest mistakes make it difficult to determine the overall costs of corruption in this sector around the globe. But the scale of corruption is vast in both rich and poor countries. Transparency International defines corruption as ‘the abuse of entrusted power for private gain’. In the health sphere corruption encompasses bribery of regulators and medical professionals, manipulation of information on drug trials, the diversion of medicines and supplies, corruption in procurement, and overbilling of insurance companies. It is not limited to abuse by public officials, because society frequently entrusts private actors in health care with important public roles.
New evidence demonstrated in 2005 that torture and mistreatment have been a deliberate part of the Bush administration’s counterterrorism strategy, undermining the global defence of human rights, Human Rights Watch said in releasing its World Report 2006. The evidence showed that abusive interrogation cannot be reduced to the misdeeds of a few low-ranking soldiers, but was a conscious policy choice by senior U.S. government officials. The policy has hampered Washington’s ability to cajole or pressure other states into respecting international law, said the volume’s introductory essay.
Governments and donor countries are curtailing progress towards Education for All (EFA) – and broader poverty reduction – by according only marginal attention to the 771 million adults living without basic literacy skills, says the fourth edition of the EFA Global Monitoring Report, “Literacy for life”. “Literacy is a right and a foundation for further learning that must be tackled through quality schooling for all children, vastly expanded literacy programmes for youth and adults, and policies to enrich the literate environment,” says Nicholas Burnett, the Report’s director.
The world has an unprecedented opportunity to realize the promise of equality and freedom from want. During the next decade, hundreds of millions of people can be released from the stronghold of poverty. The lives of 30 million children and 2 million mothers can be spared. The spread of AIDS can be reversed. Millions of young people can play a larger role in their countries’ development and, in turn, create a better world for themselves and generations to come. Gender equality and reproductive health are indispensable to the realization of this promise. In the year 2000, leaders from 189 countries met at the United Nations Millennium Summit and forged a unique global compact to reduce poverty. From the Summit’s declaration, eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were derived, with 2015 set as the date for their achievement. In 2002, the UN Millennium Project brought together more than 250 leading experts to advise the UN Secretary-General on how to implement the MDGs. Their conclusions are reflected throughout this year’s State of World Population report.
More than two-thirds of the 159 nations surveyed in Transparency International’s 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) scored less than 5 out of a clean score of 10, indicating serious levels of corruption in a majority of the countries surveyed. Despite progress on many fronts, including the imminent entry into force of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, seventy countries - nearly half of those included in the Index - scored less than 3 on the CPI, indicating a severe corruption problem. Among the countries included in the Index, corruption is perceived as most rampant in Chad, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Myanmar and Haiti – also among the poorest countries in the world.
Joint Ministerial Committee of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on the transfer of real resources to developing Countries
Text of the UN 2005 World Summit Outcome adopted by the UN General Assembly on 16 September 2005
People are facing growing pressures to go on developing skills and knowledge over their working life-time as job mobility increases and job tasks become more complex, and governments in many countries need to do more to foster education and training at all stages of people’s lives, according to the latest edition of the OECD's annual Education at a Glance. OECD studies show that the earnings gap between the better-educated and those with lower qualifications is growing rather than shrinking. In all OECD countries, people without upper secondary education face a significantly higher, and growing, risk of unemployment
The Independent Inquiry Committee issues its definitive Report on the overall management and oversight of the “temporary” Oil for Food Programme, a programme which stretched to seven years with more than $100 billion in transactions (over $64 billion in oil sales and approximately $37 billion for food). This very large and very complex Programme accomplished many vital goals in Iraq. It reversed a serious and deteriorating food crisis, preventing widespread hunger and probably reducing deaths due to malnutrition. While there were problems with the sporadic delivery of equipment and medical supplies, undoubtedly many lives were saved. At the same time, things went wrong, damaging the reputation and credibility of the United Nations. With respect to the Programme as a whole, the Committee’s central conclusion is that the United Nations requires stronger executive leadership, thoroughgoing administrative reform, and more reliable controls and auditing. (7/09/2005)
The tsunami was a highly visible, unpredictable and largely unpreventable tragedy. Other tragedies are less visible, monotonously predictable and readily preventable. Every hour more than 1,200 children die away from the glare of media attention. This is equivalent to three tsunamis a month, every month, hitting the world’s most vulnerable citizens—its children. The causes of death will vary, but the overwhelming majority can be traced to a single pathology: poverty. Unlike the tsunami, that pathology is preventable. With today’s technology, financial resources and accumulated knowledge, the world has the capacity to overcome extreme deprivation. Yet as an international community we allow poverty to destroy lives on a scale that dwarfs the impact of the tsunami. (UNDP, 7/09/2005)
The purpose of this inform is to clarify the method used to identify and quantify the progress made by the Latin American and Caribbean region and the challenges that remain to be met. The analysis also looks at the differences across countries in terms of their chances of attaining the Millennium Development Goals, and, wherever possible, the differences between trends in various segments of the population (classified by gender, ethnic group, age group, place of residence and income stratum) as a means of helping to pinpoint the areas in which efforts must be redoubled in order to ensure that advances are of benefit to all. This is supplemented by an integrated analysis of macroeconomic (including fiscal) factors as they relate to the Goal of eradicating poverty.
This paper sets out a new and comprehensive vision for a trade-related support plan for LDC's, who at present are unable to profit from trade liberalization and beneficially integrate into the international trading system and the global economy. Drawing upon historical experience with the Marshall Plan where the US reconstructed a war devastated Europe ground up, it calls for practical and concrete commitments, policies and measures in favour of LDC's.
Donors agree to complete the process of debt relief for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries by providing additional development resources which will provide significant support for countries' efforts to reach the goals of the Millennium Declaration (MDGs), while ensuring that the financing capacity of the IFIs is not reduced. This will lead to 100 per cent debt cancellation of outstanding obligations of HIPCs to the IMF, World Bank and African Development Bank
The CGD/Foreign Policy Commitment to Development Index ranks 21 of the worlds' richest countries based on how much their policies help or hinder development in poorer nations. The index examines seven policy categories: foreign aid, investment, openness to immigration, responsible environmental practices, contributions to internationally approved security operations, support for technology development, and openness to international trade. Spain has dropped from number 6 in 2003 to number 20 in 2004.
The adoption of the Millennium Development Goals, drawn from the United Nations Millennium Declaration, was a seminal event in the history of the United Nations. It constituted an unprecedented promise by world leaders to address, as a single package, peace, security, development, human rights and fundamental freedoms. This progress Report is the most comprehensive accounting to date on how far we have come, and how far we have to go, in each of the world’s regions. It reflects a collaborative effort among a large number of agencies and organizations within and outside the United Nations system. All have provided the most up-to-date data possible in their areas of responsibility, helping thereby to achieve clarity and consistency in the report. Above all, the report shows us how much progress has been made in some areas, and how large an effort is needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals in others. If current trends persist, there is a risk that many of the poorest countries will not be able to meet many of them. Considering how far we have come, such a failure would mark a tragically missed opportunity. This report shows that we have the means at hand to ensure that nearly every country can make good on the promises of the Goals. Our challenge is to deploy those means. (United Nations, June 2005)
During 2004, the human rights of ordinary men, women and children were disregarded or grossly abused in every corner of the globe. Economic interests, political hypocrisy and socially orchestrated discrimination continued to fan the flames of conflict around the world. The “war on terror” appeared more effective in eroding international human rights principles than in countering international “terrorism”. The millions of women who suffered gender-based violence in the home, in the community or in war zones were largely ignored. The economic, social and cultural rights of marginalized communities were almost entirely neglected. This Amnesty International Report, which covers 149 countries, highlights the failure of national governments and international organizations to deal with human rights violations, and calls for greater international accountability.
The fifth annual A.T. Kearney/FOREIGN POLICY Globalization Index shows that global integration survived the turbulence of the Iraq war, a sharp economic downturn, and the failure of trade talks. The ranking of political, economic, personal, and technological globalization in 62 countries reveals that the world is still coming together
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Alvaro Gil-Robles, presented his report on the respect for human rights in the Russian Federation to the Committee of Ministers. The report was prepared in the light of two extensive visits. It focuses on police behaviour, prison conditions, the fight against racism and xenophobia and the respect for human rights in the Chechen Republic, amongst others
The Global Information Technology Report 2004-2005 is the fourth in a series assessing the state of the networked readiness of 104 economies. It is an update of the previous Reports, capturing new insights and best practices and gleaning policy lessons from various country experiences. The Report remains the most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the preparedness of countries to capture the benefits of participating in the Networked World. The Report uses the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), covering a total of 104 economies in 2004-2005, to measure "the degree of preparation of a nation or community to participate in and benefit from ICT developments".
2005 is already an extraordinary year. The tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004 caused widespread devastation, killed hundreds of thousands of people, left millions homeless, and plunged already poor countries into even deeper poverty. While the disaster has caused great devastation, the global wave of solidarity and public generosity that followed it offers grounds for hope. The outpouring of aid to those affected showed just what the international community is capable of when it acts in unison. But it should also be recognised that the lack of international action to reform debt, aid, and trade policies has a similarly devastating impact on poor countries and requires the same level of solidarity and determination by the world community. Every week, poverty kills more people than the Asian tsunami. The question is: was the reaction to the tsunami a one-off event, or will the concerns of the poor be a continuing priority for the rich world? In this paper we consider the heroes and villains in the EU’s 25-member bloc. We ask: are they collectively doing enough to make sure that the EU seizes the opportunity to make poverty history? (Oxfam International Paper, February, 2005)
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, on 18 September 2004 the Security Council adopted resolution 1564 requesting, inter alia, that the Secretary-General 'rapidly establish an international commission of inquiry in order immediately to investigate reports of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in Darfur by all parties, to determine also whether or not acts of genocide have occurred, and to identify the perpetrators or such violations with a view to ensuring that those responsible are held accountable'. The Commission submitted a full report on its findings to the Secretary-General on 25 January 2005
The Committee is tasked with collecting and examining information relating to all aspects of the administration and management of the Oil-For-Food Programme, from its inception to its transfer to the Coalition Provisional Authority, including allegations of fraud and corruption on the part of United Nations officials, personnel, and agents, as well as the contractors of the United Nations or Iraq under the Programme
In assessing the potencial risks from climate change and the costs of averting it, however, researchers and policy-makers encounter pervasive uncertainty. That uncertainty contributes to great differences of opinion as to the appropiate policy response, with some experts seeing little or no threat and others finding cause for immediate, extensive action. Policymakers are thus confronted with a wide range of recommendations about how to address the risks posed by a changing climate (A CBO Paper)
Political parties are most corrupt institution worldwide according to TI Global Corruption Barometer 2004. In six out of 10 countries, political parties are given the worst assessment. Governments must enhance efforts to fight graft, starting with ratification of UN Convention against Corruption
Today there are 550 million people who work, but still live on less than US$ 1 a day. These "working poor" represent 20 per cent of total world employment. In spite of the record levels of global unemployment, the reality for most of the world’s poor is that they must work – often for long hours, in poor working conditions and without basic rights and representation – at work that is not productive enough to enable them to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. While it is clearly the case that employment is central to poverty reduction, it is "decent and productive" employment that matters, not employment alone.
The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2004 reports on progres and setbacks in efforts to reach the goal set by the World Food Summit in 1996 -to halve the number of chronically hungry people in the world by the year 2015
While the multilateral WTO talks remain mired in contentious debate, new bilateral and regional preferential trading arrangements are mushrooming all over the globe. The surge in regional trading arrangements prompts many questions that this Global Economic Prospects 2005 takes up: what type of regional and bilateral arrangements are most beneficial -and which types stifle development?; are these agreements inspire deeper integration that multilateral trade agreements cannot?; do they contribute to -or detract from- incentives for countries to engage in the multilateral Doha trade talks?
Quality is at the heart of education. It influences what students learn, how well they learn and what benefits they draw from their education. As many governments strive to expand basic education, they also face the challenge of ensuring that students stay in school long enough to acquire the knowledge they need to cope in a rapidly changing world. Assessments show that this is not happening in many countries. This Report published by UNESCO reviews research evidence on the multiple factors that determine quality, and maps out key policies for improving the teaching and learning process, especially in low-income countries. It monitors international assistance to education and progress towards the six goals of Education for All, to which over 160 countries committed themselves in 2000, at the World Education Forum
Reporters Without Borders announces its third annual worldwide index of press freedom. Such freedom is threatened most in East Asia (North Korea, Burma, China, Vietnam and Laos) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria and Iraq). The greatest press freedom is found in northern Europe (Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway) which is a haven of peace for journalists
"Corruption in large-scale public projects is a daunting obstacle to sustainable development, and results in a major loss of public funds needed for education, healthcare and poverty alleviation, both in developed and developing countries", said Transparency International (TI) Chairman Peter Eigen. If we hope to reach the Millenium Development Goal of halving the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015, governments need to seriously tackle corruption in public contracting. TI estimates that the amount lost due to bribery in government procurement is at least US$ 400 billion per year worldwide
Based on a sample of reserve holdings among developing countries, this paper shows that the drop in the dollar will lead to a loss in the value of reserve holdings for the average developing country among the group examined of between 1.8 percent and 5.6 percent of GDP
Fear and want still stand on the way of human security around the world and are major obstacles to achieving the development goals agreed to by all countries of the world, concludes the Social Watch Report 2004.
As representatives of a number of a major human rights organizations, we urge you to take further immediate steps to address the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. Resolution 1564, adopted on September 18, 2004, does not contain adequate measures to bring security to civilian populations in Darfur and to end the ongoing violations of internationa human rights and humanitarian law. It is essential that the Security Council quickly establish an effective force to protect civilian populations by passing a resolution extending and strengthening the mandate of the existing African Union monitoring force
The International Religious Freedom Report for 2004 is submitted to the Congress by the Department of State in compliance with Section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. The law provides that the Secretary of State shall transmit to Congress each year "an Annual Report on International Religious Freedom supplementing the most recent Human Rights Reports by providing additional detailed information with respect to matters involving international religious freedom." This Annual Report includes individual country chapters on the status of religious freedom worldwide
Countries are making real progress in carrying out a bold global action plan that links poverty alleviation to women's rights and universal access to reproductive health. Ten years into the new era opened by the 1994 International Conference in Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, the quality and reach of family planning programmes have improved, safe motherhood and HIV prevention efforts are being scaled up, and governments embrace the ICPD Programme of Action as an essential blueprint for realizing development goals
The average level of real income in the richest countries is 50 times that of the poorest. The richest tenth of South African population enjoy levels of consumption per person almost 70 times those of the poorest tenth. Citizens of the world also experience profound differences in influence, access to legal systems, power and social status, whether at the level of individuals, between men and women, or between groups. This WDR will explore the relationship between equity and development strategy
The annual report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was presented on 25 June at Vienna, coinciding with the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking. Although the situation remains serious, the report indicates some encouraging signs as regards trafficking, consumption and treatment of drug addiction throughout the world. It also highlights the cut-back in opium poppy cultivation (the base for opium and its derivatives) in South-East Asia and a sustained reduction, for the fourth year running, in coca cultivation in the Andean region (Colombia, Peru and Bolivia
The Fourth Annual Trafficking in Persons Report (Department of State, USA) reflects the growing concern of the President, Members of Congress, and the public over the serious human rights, health and security implications of human trafficking around the world.This report represents the collective work of embassies, as well as governments and NGO partners throughout the world who are committed to ending the scourge of slavery
New edition of Amnesty International's annual report on the state of human rights in 155 countries and territories throughout the world in 2003. The report alerts to the fact that there were significant breaches of human rights as a consequence of the 'war on terror' and that while more than 1 billion people live in extreme poverty and subject to social injustice, governments continue to spend exorbitant sums of money on armament and military equipment
The CGD/Foreign Policy Commitment to Development Index ranks 21 of the worlds' richest countries based on how much their policies help or hinder development in poorer nations. The index examines seven policy categories: foreign aid, investment, openness to immigration, responsible environmental practices, contributions to internationally approved security operations, support for technology development, and openness to international trade. Spain has dropped from number 6 in 2003 to number 20 in 2004.
Report issued by Civitas (The Institute for the Study of Civil Society) on immigration's positive or negative contribution to the economy
Transparency International provides an overview of the state of corruption around the world. This year the Global Corruption Report focuses on political corruption
'Waging war is no excuse for ignoring human rights'. With these words, Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), presented on 26 January the World Report 2004: Human Rights and Armed Conflict, a compilation of 15 studies on a variety of topics related to war and human rights. The report is critical of military intervention in Iraq, stating that the invasion ended a brutal regime but that the Coalition's leaders are wrong to describe it as a humanitarian intervention
This is a survey and análisis –with commentary- of migration sigues and the related development policies for the sending countries. “Migration and development” is considered “unsettled” and “unresolved” area for good reason. The policy issues are surprisingly deep and run to basic issues such as the nature of development as opposed to simply poverty reduction. North-north migration (between developed countries), south-south migration (between or within developing countries), and north-south migration (from developing to developed countries) are all covered although most attention is on the north-south variety. Attention is paid to the question of the dynamic mechanism underlying migration being one of convergence or divergence. (World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3117, August 2003)
A new World Bank report warns that broad improvements in human welfare will not occur unless poor people receive wider access to affordable, better quality services in health, education, water, sanitation, and electricity. Without such improvements in services, freedom from illness and freedom from illiteracy - two of the most important ways poor people can escape poverty - will remain elusive to many.The report - World Development Report 2004: Making Services Work for Poor People - says that too often, key services fail poor people - in access, in quantity, in quality. This imperils a set of development targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which call for a halving of the global incidence of poverty, and broad improvements in human development by 2015. However, the report provides powerful examples of where services do work, showing how governments and citizens can do better. The report says there have been spectacular successes and miserable failures in the efforts by developing countries to make services work. The main difference between success and failure is the degree to which poor people themselves are involved in determining the quality and the quantity of the services which they receive.
The range of human development in the world is vast and uneven, with astounding progress in some areas amidst stagnation and dismal decline in others. Balance and stability in the world will require the commitment of all nations, rich and poor, and a global development compact to extend the wealth of possibilities to all people. The Report has been recently published by United Nations.
