HDR 2019 "Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: Inequalities in human development in the 21st century"
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP) - ABOUT THE REPORT
When the Human Development Report first appeared in 1990, it captured the attention of the global community because it offered a different way - beyond income - of seeing the world and measuring its progress. Almost 30 years since its inception, the HDR and its Human Development Index, which ranks all countries in the world by their level of human development, remains a powerful voice.
The latest report - released globally in December - aims to drive the conversation on the future of development, and in so doing, advance progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It deals with inequalities in the 21st century and how they weaken social cohesion and economic growth, and damage people’s trust in government, institutions and in each other. When taken to extremes, they also bring people onto the streets.
By looking beyond income, beyond averages, and beyond today, the report presents analysis, ideas and policy options to tackle inequality's drivers, recognizing that many inequalities are the symptom of an unfair system rather than the cause. As with most entrenched development challenges, there is no easy solution. Reversing inequality requires interventions from early childhood to old age and new thinking - particularly in the face of sweeping technological change and the climate crisis.
