A United Nations report published argues that an unprecedented array of crises, chiefly among them Covid-19, has set human progress back five years and fueled a global wave of uncertainty.
The UN Development Program (UNDP) announced that for the first time since it was created over 30 years ago, the Human Development Index -- a measure of countries' life expectancies, education levels, and standards of living -- has declined for two years straight, in 2020 and 2021.
"It means we die earlier, we are less well educated, our incomes are going down," UNDP chief Achim Steiner told AFP in an interview.
"Just under three parameters, you can get a sense of why so many people are beginning to feel desperate, frustrated, worried about the future," he said.
The Human Development Index has steadily risen for decades, but began sliding in 2020 and continued its fall in 2021, erasing the gains of the preceding five years, the paper says.
Titled "Uncertain times, unsettled lives," the report points to the Covid-19 pandemic as a major driver of the global reversion, but also says that a compounding number of crises -- political, financial and climate-related -- have not allowed time for populations to recover.
"We've had disasters before. We've had conflicts before. But the confluence of what we're facing right now is a major setback to human development," said Steiner.
The setback is truly global, impacting more than 90 percent of countries around the world, according to the study.
Switzerland, Norway and Iceland all retain their spots at the top of the list, while South Sudan, Chad and Niger sit at the bottom.
And while some countries had begun to recover from the pandemic, many others in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean had not yet turned the corner before a new crisis hit: the war in Ukraine.
- 'Lost trust' -
While the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine on food and energy security has not yet been calculated into this year's index, "without any doubt, the outlook for 2022 is grim," Steiner said.
A large contributor to the Human Development Index's recent decline is a global drop in life expectancy, down from 73 years in 2019 to 71.4 years in 2021.
The report's lead author, Pedro Conceicao, described the decrease as an "unprecedented shock," noting that some countries -- the United States included -- had drops of two years or more.
The report also describes how transformational forces, such as climate change, globalization and political polarization, present humanity with a complex level of uncertainty "never seen in human history," leading to rising feelings of insecurity.
"People have lost trust in one another," said Steiner.
"Never mind in institutions, our neighbor now becomes sometimes the greatest threat, whether literally speaking in the community, or globally by nations, that is paralyzing us."
"We can't continue with the playbook of the last century," Steiner argued, preferring a focus on economic transformation rather than a reliance on growth as a panacea.
"Frankly speaking, the transformations we now need require us to introduce the metrics of the future: low carbon, less inequality, greater sustainability."
The report strikes a positive note as well, saying that improvements could be made by focusing on three main areas: investments in renewable energy and preparation for future pandemics, insurance to absorb shocks, and innovations to strengthen the capacity to cope with future crises.
Steiner also called for a reversal in the recent downward trend of development assistance to the most vulnerable countries.
Continuing down that road would be a grave error, said Steiner, and "underestimates the impact it has on our ability to work together as nations."
ETX Studio
Fri Sep 16 2022
UNDP chief Achim Steiner called for a reversal in the recent downward trend of development assistance to the most vulnerable countries. - ETX Studio
Chegubard didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen KL esok - Peguam
Badrul Hisham Shaharin atau dikenali Chegubard akan didakwa di Mahkamah Sesyen Kuala Lumpur esok atas pertuduhan memfitnah dan menghasut.
Pulau Pinang, kerajaan pusat bekerjasama tarik pelaburan semikonduktor
Kerajaan Pulau Pinang akan bekerjasama dengan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk meneruskan usaha menarik pelaburan dalam sektor semikonduktor, termasuk segmen reka bentuk litar bersepadu (IC) di negeri itu.
Rakyat Malaysia di Jordan jadi duta produk PMKS negara
Menteri Pembangunan Usahawan dan Koperasi Datuk Ewon Benedick menyarankan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap di Jordan supaya memainkan peranan sebagai “duta” untuk mempromosikan produk perusahaan mikro kecil dan sederhana (PMKS) SERTA koperasi negara.
Mohamed Khaled tiba di Indonesia, dijadual bertemu Prabowo
Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin tiba di Jakarta hari ini untuk lawatan kerja rasmi sulung beliau ke Indonesia sejak memegang jawatan itu.
SPRM mohon maklumat dari Jerman
Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) memohon maklumat terkini daripada pihak berkuasa Jerman mengenai dana bon 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang dipercayai digunakan untuk membeli kereta mewah di negara itu pada 26 Okt 2022.
SPRM siasat pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air
Seorang pemimpin kanan di utara tanah air disiasat Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) kerana disyaki melantik beberapa syarikat yang mempunyai kepentingan dengannya membabitkan beberapa projek pembekalan melibatkan peruntukan kira-kira RM300,000.
Kembangkan kandungan tempatan melalui AI
Menurut Setiausaha Agung Organisasi Kerjasama Digital (DCO) Deemah Al Yahya, terdapat 2.7 peratus daripada penduduk dunia tidak berhubung malah tidak mempunyai sambungan asas internet. Beliau turut berkata infrastruktur pengkomputeran setiap negara perlu mempunyai kemampuan untuk mengembangkan kandungan tempatan khususnya yang melibatkan penggunaan AI.
AI tidak dapat ganti guru
Menteri Pendidikan Rwanda, Gaspard Twagirayezu berkata kepesatan teknologi AI dalam pendidikan tidak dapat menggantikan guru malah membantu guru dalam menyediakan bahan pengajaran yang bermanfaat kepada pelajar.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Ahad, 28 April 2024.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: Dunia perlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi ke Orde Baharu - Menteri Luar Arab Saudi
Menteri Luar Negeri Arab Saudi, Putera Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud berkata dunia memerlukan persaingan sihat dalam transisi daripada Orde Dunia Lama kepada Orde Baharu. Jelasnya, persaingan ini akan memberi manfaat dalam bentuk kos pengeluaran lebih rendah, perkembangan inovasi dan pelaburan lebih baik. #MesyuaratKhasWEF #WEF
Protes anti-PBB: 3 anggota ATM di Congo selamat dipindahkan dari Goma - Hishammuddin
Menerusi perkongsian di media sosial beliau, Hishammuddin memaklumkan mereka telah dipindahkan dari Goma.
Malaysia komited terus berjuang bersama PBB - Hishammuddin
Dalam soal keselamatan, Malaysia antara negara penyumbang terbesar dalam Misi Pengaman PBB iaitu berada di tangga ke-26 daripada 119 buah negara.
PM gesa PBB main peranan tangani 'diskriminasi COVID-19'
PBB telah berfungsi dengan baik selama 75 tahun khususnya dalam mempromosi pembangunan sosial dan ekonomi, namun secara realitinya PBB gagal menyelamatkan generasi daripada bahana perang.
Bagai X-ray, COVID-19 dedahkan perpecahan dan jurang kekayaan - PBB
Kata Setiausaha Agung PBB Antonio Guterres, 26 individu terkaya di dunia memiliki jumlah kekayaan yang sama dimiliki oleh separuh populasi global.
172 negara sokong inisiatif Malaysia, optimis Majlis Keselamatan PBB realisasi gencatan senjata
Inisiatif Kenyataan Bersama mengenai gencatan senjata diketuai Malaysia berjaya mendapat sokongan 172 buah negara dan pemerhati PBB. Namun, ia tidak mudah dan misi ini tidak hanya berhenti di sini.
KKM kesan 601 kes positif COVID-19 libatkan warga asing
KKM turut menasihati majikan dan indusri yang menggunakan tenaga kerja warga asing agar mengambil langkah ketat.
Suara kanak-kanak harus diketengahkan - Lisa Surihani
Kanak-kanak adalah generasi yang bakal mencorakkan masa depan negara sekaligus akan terkesan dengan proses perancangan oleh generasi hari ini.
Dunia berbelah bahagi dalam mengkritik layanan etnik Uighur di China
Pakar PBB mendakwa sekurang-kurangnya sejuta golongan etnik Uighur serta kumpulan minoriti Islam lain ditahan secara paksa dalam kem tahanan di Xinjiang.
Sejuta spesis tumbuhan dan haiwan menghadapi ancaman kepupusan - PBB
Perkara ini semua berlaku khususnya akibat aktiviti manusia sekaligus mengancam kebajikan dan keselamatan manusia di seluruh dunia.
Malaysia sumbang dana untuk mangsa terkorban perangi rasuah - Tun Mahathir
Malaysia akan memperuntukkan dana RM500,000 kepada Persatuan Pihak Berkuasa Anti Rasuah Antarabangsa (IAACA).