Human Development
The Human Development Report 2005 has been released by the United Nations.
These are just a few highlights:
Every hour more than 1,200 children die away from the glare of media attention.
There is a real danger that the next 10 years, like the last 15 years, will deliver far less for human development than has been promised
The world’s richest 500 individuals have a combined income greater than that of the poorest 416 million
The Millennium Declaration Goals target for reducing child mortality will be missed by 4.4 million avoidable child deaths in 2015
[in Russia] Mortality is higher among men than women, especially among single and less educated men. In 2003 life expectancy was 59 years for Russian men and 72 years for women, one of the widest gender gaps in the world.
On current indicators a child born in Zambia today has less chance of surviving past age 30 than a child born in 1840 in England
The risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes ranges from 1 in 18 in Nigeria to 1 in 8,700 in Canada
Sub-Saharan Africa had almost 100 million more people living in poverty in 2001 than in 1990
Comparisons with military spending are instructive. For every $1 invested in development assistance another $10 is spent on military budgets. No G-7 country has a ratio of military expenditure to aid of less than 4:1. That ratio rises to 13:1 for the United Kingdom and to 25:1 for the United States.
Pretty heavy reading I must admit, but very interesting and very pedagogic.
For my part I must say it amazes me Portugal only regressed one position since last year (we now rank 27th out of 177, last year we used to be 26th).
These are just a few highlights:
Every hour more than 1,200 children die away from the glare of media attention.
There is a real danger that the next 10 years, like the last 15 years, will deliver far less for human development than has been promised
The world’s richest 500 individuals have a combined income greater than that of the poorest 416 million
The Millennium Declaration Goals target for reducing child mortality will be missed by 4.4 million avoidable child deaths in 2015
[in Russia] Mortality is higher among men than women, especially among single and less educated men. In 2003 life expectancy was 59 years for Russian men and 72 years for women, one of the widest gender gaps in the world.
On current indicators a child born in Zambia today has less chance of surviving past age 30 than a child born in 1840 in England
The risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes ranges from 1 in 18 in Nigeria to 1 in 8,700 in Canada
Sub-Saharan Africa had almost 100 million more people living in poverty in 2001 than in 1990
Comparisons with military spending are instructive. For every $1 invested in development assistance another $10 is spent on military budgets. No G-7 country has a ratio of military expenditure to aid of less than 4:1. That ratio rises to 13:1 for the United Kingdom and to 25:1 for the United States.
Pretty heavy reading I must admit, but very interesting and very pedagogic.
For my part I must say it amazes me Portugal only regressed one position since last year (we now rank 27th out of 177, last year we used to be 26th).
posted by DCveR at 9:12 PM
12 Comments:
Some of those figures are staggering.
I wasn't aware of an HDR, btw. Thanks for the edification.
Our newspapers publish this report, or a summary of it. Nothing much changes, year after year.
It all gets too much for me, sometimes.
very sad.
VERY sobering statistics. And THAT's another reason why I posted my post today!
Especially startled by "The world’s richest 500 individuals have a combined income greater than that of the poorest 416 MILLION." (Yeesh!)
LAST GIRL ON EARTH
You know why nothing ever happens to change this? Because we all just sit around talking about how sad it is instead of trying to fix it.
bent: I would think this to have some publicity in the US. Anyway there is nothing to thank for.
GG: I know what you mean. But this report is 'special', in the sense it shows some of the hypocrisy in the UN's Millennium Declaration Goals and the real politics.
cadiz: Sad. Unfair. In some cases criminal.
last girl: The few that are "more equal", what's new?
viking: Fortunately not everybody sits anda says 'sad'.
Mmm, yes, that bit about the hypocrisy of the UN...I've had doubts about them for some time now.
If we all played a part, even in our own little corner...who knows...
I don't begrudge wealth...if I were filthy stinking rich I'd use my wealth and influence in very positive ways.
GG: I meant the hypocrisy of the world's leaders. After all the UN is but an assembly of all the Nations. As far as I can see it, UN works fine within it's limitations, those limitations are the changes of position and the hypocrisy of the Nation's ambassadors and leaders.
However you are very right when you say we all must start by playing our part on our own little corner.
What is wealth?
viking: Guess it depends on where you're sitting, like most things in life. If you're standing in Europe wealth may be travelling, seeing great art, owning fine jewelry. If you sit in the US wealth may be flying coast to coast to see a play on broadway. If you sit in Africa wealth can be either selling diamonds and owning your private jet so you can have dinner in Rio or Paris or it can be simply having one meal every day.
Speaking of diamonds in Africa, the govt. here had to take steps to stop their diamonds coming here.
They're being smuggled to places like Guyana that produce diamonds, and are palmed off as Guyana diamonds, and sold to fund the buying of guns in Africa.
Wealth sounds pretty selfish to me...
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