Addis Ababa, November 4 (WIC) – The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) launched the 2011 Human Development Report on Thursday.
The theme of this year’s report is “Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All.”
The 2011 Human Development Report presented 2011 Human Development Index (HDI) values and ranks for 187 countries and UN-recognized territories.
The Report helps to identify pathways for people, communities, countries and the international community to promote environmental sustainability and equity in a mutually reinforcing manner.
Speaking at the launching of the report, UNDP Resident Representative, Eugene Owusu said Ethiopia has shown a marked progress in the HDI over the past couple of years.
Owusu, who is also UN Resident Coordinator and UN Humanitarian Coordinator, said Ethiopia’s life expectancy at birth increased by 15.3 years and expected years of schooling increased by 5.4 years between 1980 and 2011.
The Coordinator said Ethiopia’s Gross National Income per capita also increased by about 92 percent between 1985 and 2011.
In September of 2010 at the UN General Assembly, the world applauded Ethiopia’s commendable progress towards reaching five of the eight MDGs, the representative said.
Owusu said the UNDP and the whole UN System stand ready to partner Ethiopia to ensure that the country has the best chance of meeting its development aspirations.
State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Ahmed Shide on his part said the 2011 Human Development Report argues to jointly address the urgent global challenges of sustainability and equity.
Ethiopia is committed to accelerating human resources development, giving due priority in resource allocation, the state minister said.
The HDI is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.
Norway, Australia, and the Netherlands lead the world in the 2011 HDI, while the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger and Burundi are put under the bottom line.(ERTA)