The figures are a so-called estimate – or projection in English – for 2023, as the large amounts of data have not yet been collected from around the world. Greater inequality between countries Although developments in the world have recovered after the corona pandemic, developments are far from being the same in all countries. The disparity between countries that score high on the HDI scale and countries that score low on the scale has only risen since 2020 – after many years where it has fallen. The report shows that while all OECD countries have recovered from the corona years, only half of the least developed countries in the world have recovered to or above the level they were at in 2019 – i.e. before the pandemic broke out. It hasn’t always been that way. Once upon a time, it was the poorest countries that moved up the development ladder the fastest. And even if the curve is again at a record high, the development is lower than if the corona pandemic had not put a damper on the development. – It is a loss of human potential. If we don’t get the curve up, it will be a permanent loss, says Pedro Conceição. Among other things, he points to international cooperation as the solution to ensure more progress globally, where we at the same time avoid leaving some of the world’s countries behind. Because, as he says, even if the countries of the world will continue to disagree on many things, it is not a contradictory thought “that there will also be areas where they can well cooperate and meet each other. Because it is in their interests, but also in the interests of the collective. Pandemics are one example, climate change is another”. The goal: Development without more pressure on the planet The climate crisis is one of our times – and the future’s – biggest problems. Therefore, in 2020, the UNDP began to measure yet another parameter in their reports on human development, namely how much pressure the various countries put on the planet – a so-called “planetary pressure”. When looking at the different countries’ pressure on the planet, there has also been cautious progress. – Being an optimist is about assessing what is possible and what is not possible. I am hopeful. Because being hopeful is about believing in a world that is better than the one we have right now, says Pedro Conceição. – This is one of the reasons for hope, he says and holds up the blue summary of the report in front of him. He scrolls until he finds a graph on page 8.
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After tough corona years, more children are back at school and we are living better and longer
