Human Development Report 2013 launched:
GDP growth needs to be accompanied by social equity; i.e. the tangible improvement of lives of people. Development cannot be an abstraction of figures for most of society, External Affairs Minister Prof G. L. Peiris said.
He was speaking at the launch of the Human Development Report 2013 (HDR 2013) titled, The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
It was launched in Sri Lanka as a collaborative effort of UNDP Sri Lanka and the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Stra
tegic Studies (LKIIRSS).
The launching ceremony was presided by Minister Prof G. L. Peiris.
The minister emphasized on the need for measured state interventions to ensure that all people derive the benefits of GDP growth, and the need for effective welfare mechanisms, enhancing connectivity, both at the national and regional level, and promoting trade between countries of the South.
The HDR 2013 examines the profound shift in global dynamics driven by the fast-rising new powers of the developing world and its long-term implications for human development.
It analyses over 40 developing countries that have made striking human development gains in recent years and attributes their achievements to some strong national commitments: better public health and education services, innovative poverty eradication programmes and strategic engagement with the world economy.
According to the Human Development Index (HDI) monitored annually by the HDR, Sri Lanka makes it to the high human development category with a HDI ranking of 0.715 against the global average of 0.694.
UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka Subinay Nandy said the 2013 HDR highlights the experiences of a new group of Southern countries that are experiencing rapid developmental progress as we speak, countries which collectively makeup a significant portion of the world population, and offers insights into the policy and programmatic drivers that have enabled these countries to achieve this progress at such unprecedented scale and speed.
Sri Lanka itself is on an ambitious development path. Against this background, the experiences, insights and models from other countries are useful fo
r comparison and where appropriate, cross-fertilization and replication, Nandy said.
British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka John Rankin, Director General of the Department of National Planning Dr. B. M. S. Batagoda, Commonwealth Secretariat Former Director – Economic Affairs Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy and Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) Executive Director Priyanthi Fernando reviewed vital aspects of the report, including drivers for new human development paths, factors vital to sustain human development and lessons for Sri Lanka and importance of governance and new international partnerships that are essential in meeting global public goods.
Executive Director of LKIIRSS Asanga Abeygoonesekera said as the premier National Think Tank in Sri Lanka, the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute is pleased to launch the Human Development Report 2013 in collaboration with UNDP.
Source: Daily News (09th April 2013)
