Issue: 104
Entitled “Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience”, the Report was launched by Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe, United Nations Development Programme Administrator, Helen Clark, and the Director of the Human Development Report Office, Khalid Malik.
800 million people at risk of falling back into poverty
Persistent vulnerability threatens human development. And unless it is systematically tackled by policies and social norms, progress will be neither equitable nor sustainable. This is the core premise of the 2014 Human Development Report.
According to income-based measures of poverty, 1.2 billion people live with $1.25 or less a day. However, the latest estimates of UNDP Multidimensional Poverty Index reveal that almost 1.5 billion people in 91 developing countries are living in poverty with overlapping deprivations in health, education and living standards. And although poverty is declining overall, almost 800 million people are at risk of falling back into poverty if setbacks occur.
“By addressing vulnerabilities, all people may share in development progress, and human development will become increasingly equitable and sustainable,” stated UNDP Administrator Helen Clark.
The Report provides a fresh perspective on vulnerability and proposes ways to strengthen resilience.
The 2014 Human Development Report comes at a critical time, as attention turns to the creation of a new development agenda following the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Norway at top, Niger at last
The rankings remain unchanged at both ends of the Human Development Index (HDI). Norway, Australia, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States remain in the lead for another year, while Sierra Leone, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Niger continue to round out the list.
Despite overall gains in human development, progress in all regions decelerated over 2008–2013 compared to 2000–2008. In the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific region, and Latin America and the Caribbean, average annual growth rate in HDI dropped by about half when comparing these periods.
The steepest declines in HDI values this year occurred in Central African Republic, Libya and Syria, where ongoing conflict contributed to a drop in incomes.
[BAGLANTILAR]
Levels in human development continue to rise – yet the pace has slowed for all regions and progress has been highly uneven, according to the latest Human Development Index (HDI) included in the 2014 Human Development Report.
The lower human development groups appear to be improving at a higher rate – grounds for optimism that the gap between higher and lower human development groups is narrowing.
Zimbabwe, for example, experienced the biggest improvement in HDI due to a significant increase in life expectancy – 1.8 years from 2012 to 2013, almost quadruple the average global increase.
Meanwhile, the rankings remain unchanged at both ends of the HDI. Norway, Australia, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States remain in the lead for another year, while Sierra Leone, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Niger continue to round out the list.
Despite overall gains in human development, progress in all regions decelerated over 2008–2013 compared to 2000–2008. In the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific region, and Latin America and the Caribbean, average annual growth rate in HDI dropped by about half when comparing these periods.
The steepest declines in HDI values this year occurred in Central African Republic, Libya and Syria, where ongoing conflict contributed to a drop in incomes.
This year’s Report presents HDI values for 187 countries, and is the first index to use the latest International Comparison Program’s conversion rates of national currencies to purchasing power parity, released by the World Bank in May 2014.
Income inequality continues to grow and education remains persistently unequal
The 2014 Report reveals that overall inequality has declined slightly in most regions, as measured by the Inequality-Adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI). This has been driven mainly by improvements in health in recent years.
However, inequality in income has risen in several regions, including among very high human development countries. Despite registering the biggest drop in overall inequality this year, the Latin America and Caribbean region maintains the global high-water mark in income inequality and high disparities in education persist. The Report shows that older generations continue to struggle with illiteracy, while younger ones are having difficulty making the leap from primary to secondary schooling. The highest levels of education inequality are found in South Asia, the Arab states and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The IHDI, calculated for 145 countries, shows that the lowest levels of inequality are to be found in Norway, Finland, and the Czech Republic.
When ranked by the IHDI, some countries rank lower than when ranked by the HDI.
In the United States, Gross National Income (GNI) per capita is higher than in Canada. But when the GNI is adjusted for inequality, the reverse becomes true. Similarly, Botswana, Brazil and Chile have large adjustments to GNI per capita due to high inequality.
In 16 countries female HDI values are equal or higher than those for males
The new Gender Development Index (GDI), which for the first time measures the gender gap in human development achievements for 148 countries, reveals that in 16 of them (Argentina, Barbados, Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay), female HDI values are equal or higher than those for males. For some of these countries, this may be attributed to higher female educational achievement; for others, to a significantly longer female life expectancy - over five years longer than that of males.
Afghanistan, where the human development index for females is only 60 percent of that for males, is the most unequal country.
Worldwide, female HDI values are eight percent lower than those for males, with large variations between countries. However, the GDI shows that the disparity between genders in the estimated gross national income per capita is very high: per capita income for men at the global level is more than double that for women.
Updates on other human development indices
The Gender Inequality Index (GII) shows an overall decline. However, despite improvements in health, and incremental progress on education and parliamentary representation, women’s empowerment is still lagging. Slovenia ranks most favourably on this index, while Yemen shows the highest gender inequality.
UNDP’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) shows deprivations are declining overall, but large numbers of people – some 1.5 billion in the 91 developing countries surveyed – are still multidimensionally poor, and close to 800 million are at risk to falling into poverty if setbacks occur, whether financial, natural or otherwise.
South Asia has the largest multidimensionally poor population, with more than 800 million poor and over 270 million near-poor – that is, more than 71 percent of its population. This makes the region home to 56 percent of the world’s poor and more than 35 percent of the world’s near-poor.
UNDP is committed to full transparency. The computer programmes needed for the MPI estimation for each country are now publicly available on its web site.
However, the report also reveals that the countries in this region enjoy relatively high equality of education, health and living standards.
Social exclusion and structural vulnerabilities remain a challenge for Europe and Central Asia. Many developing countries in the region report low access to social services and social protection. Ethnic minorities like the Roma, as well as people with disabilities, the long-term unemployed, migrants, and residents of isolated rural and mountainous areas are especially vulnerable to development setbacks.
Because of its geography, the region is also vulnerable to natural disasters, especially earthquakes. A large earthquake in or near a major population centre could result in a humanitarian disaster, damage to regional infrastructure, significant refugee flows, and increased strain on often limited state capacity and social cohesion. Forecasts point to significant climate risks, ranging from threats of drought in Central Asia and the Caucasus, to increased risks of flooding in coastal areas in the Adriatic, Black, and Caspian Sea basins. As the report points out, those suffering from social exclusion tend to be the most vulnerable to these events when they occur.
“In middle-income countries, progress in sustainable development and poverty reduction requires reductions in inequalities, vulnerabilities, and exclusion, as well as better management of disaster and climate risks”, noted Cihan Sultanoglu, director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS. “This is particularly the case for the developing economies of Europe and Central Asia—many of which are still struggling to recover from the global financial crisis.”
Overall, the region comes second in the Human Development Index (HDI) rankings among developing regions, behind Latin America and the Caribbean. It surpasses world averages in life expectancy and mean years of schooling, but trails slightly in gross national income per capita. The region’s highest HDIs are reported for Montenegro and Belarus (ranked 51st and 53rd, respectively), while the lowest HDIs are for the Kyrgyz Republic (125th) and Tajikistan (133rd).
Europe and Central Asia compare favourably with other developing regions in inequality rankings as well, registering a below-average drop in human development values when adjusted for inequality. When measured by Gini coefficients, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia shows the highest income inequality, while Ukraine shows the lowest.
The 2014 Human Development Report calls for a commitment to full employment as a policy goal, the universal provision of basic social services, strengthened social protection, and better global coordination in shoring up resilience to vulnerabilities that are increasingly global in origin and impact. This report comes at a critical time for global development, as attention turns to the creation of a new post-2015 development agenda.
Photo: TTNET
Kamal Malhotra, UNDP Resident Representative in Turkey, met with Abdullah Orkun Kaya, CEO of TTNET for exchange of ideas about the new period of the project.
The “Life simpler with Internet” project is carried out by TTNET, UNDP in Turkey Habitat Center for Development and Governance and it delivers trainings to individuals who have not received a digital literacy course before.
The project particularly targets women over 35
After the meeting, Kamal Malhotra, UNDP Resident Representative in Turkey, said: "UNDP's partnership with Habitat for Development and Governance and TTNET aims to create ICT opportunities for everyone, everywhere in Turkey so as to bridge the digital divide and enable the most disadvantaged and marginalized population groups to participate in the benefits of the global information society." We seek to leverage ICTs to enable a leap-frog to a more empowered, equitable and prosperous future for all”.
Abdullah Orkun Kaya, CEO of TTNET, who has made a statement after the meeting said that the project particularly targets women over 35.
Kaya underlined that Turkey is going through a fast paced digital transformation and he added that: "Today, one of the most important signs of development is the prevalence of internet use. We work in many platforms to enlarge the digital ecosystem. We will continue our endeavors so that everyone can benefit from the advantages internet offers."
This year, 12,000 people to learn the Internet use
‘Life simpler with Internet’ project aims to increase the internet literacy rate, support the capacity development for better use of e-services offered by public and private sectors, raise awareness on conscious use of new media tools and inform the public on secure internet.
Within the framework of the project which started in 2012, this year 12,000 people in 20 provinces (Mersin, Kahramanmaraş, Karaman, Yozgat, Ordu, Çorum, Artvin, Amasya, Bayburt, Bartın, Manisa, Çanakkale, Batman, Şanlıurfa, Mardin, Şırnak, Erzincan, Bingöl, Erzurum and Hakkari) are aimed to be met with the digital world.
The competition was open to Master students and PhD candidates registered at Turkish universities.
The best ideas were awarded with 5,000 USD, 4,000 USD and 3,000 USD. In total, sixteen project ideas were granted with Water Awards.
The Awards were given to ideas for novel projects that will help tackle the urgent need to supply water and sanitation to communities, to help them adapt to climate change, and to raise awareness about using water responsibly.
Every Drop Matters Water Awards Winners and the award amounts are listed below:
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5,000 |
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5,000 |
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5,000 |
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5,000 |
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5,000 |
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5,000 |
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4,000 |
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4,000 |
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4,000 |
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3,000 |
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3,000 |
“Life without barriers” supported swimmers with disabilities in the 26th Bosporus Intercontinental Race, organized by Turkish National Olympics Committee (TNOC) on 19-20 July, as it did in 2013.
Kenan Önalan, who is the Ministry Advisor of General Directorate of Disabled and Elderly People from the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, Marc Bergeretti who is the President of Peugeot and Peugeot volunteers were there for the swimmers with disabilities with their moral support and good wishes before the race at the “Life without barriers” stall.
The first three swimmers with disabilities to finish the race were Alper Ceylantepe, Oğulcan Altaş and Miray Ulaş.
During the races where 15 disabled swimmers participated, volunteers from Peugeot staff supported the participants with disabilities and they spend time together.
“Life without barriers” project started with the aim of working to support persons with disabilities for their adaptation to life in 2013. Project continues its works in collaboration with the General Directorate of Services for the Disabled and the Elderly, UNDP and Peugeot with support of Ministry of Family Affairs and Social Policies of Turkey.
Prof. Chadwick Dearing Oliver, who is the President of Yale University’s Global Forest Institute, delivered a seminar in UN House on 22 July, on creating sustainable societies and a sustainable environment.
He shared his knowledge and experience on relations between forestry and sustainable development and he stressed upon that sustainable development is not at the expense of something and we can have economic development without depleting our natural resources.
Both from the field of social and engineering sciences, 5 research projects on Energy Efficient Appliances have been granted under the Market Transformation of Energy Efficient Appliances in Turkey Project Grant Programme (EVUdP).
Having started by the end of January 2014, 5 grant projects have already successfully completed their first terms including the completion of laboratory infrastructures as well as the design of the curricula for Energy Efficiency Courses to be given at the grantee universities.
The grantee universities are as follows; Ankara University, Bogazici University, Istanbul Aydın University, Kadir Has University and Ozyegin University. The duration of the projects varies from 8 to 9 months and the amount of the grants for each grantee also varies approximately around 100,000 USD.
Having the grant for the project titled “Ankara Household Electrical Appliances Energy Efficiency Technologies Research Center”, Ankara University (AU) has completed all the construction of physical infrastructure of Energy Efficiency Laboratory at the newly established Energy Efficiency Research Center. With the establishment of this Center, this project aims to increase scientific research for “Household Electrical Appliances Energy Efficiency” and provide scientific research support to companies in Ankara. In that regard, the Research Center and the Lab both have aimed to serve for the courses on energy efficiency designed within this project as well as the SMEs in the region that would like to test products. Energy Efficiency Laboratory, which is to be opened in October 2014, is mainly designed to test the electrical ovens and refrigerators for research purposes, yet to be developed further in need for testing of other products in the future.
Bogazici University on the other hand has a grant project titled “Climate Change and Household Appliances”. Having the objective of increasing scientific researches and consumer awareness about the connection between energy-efficient household appliances and the climate change, it has been planned to organize informational meetings and visits in three different cities, to air radio shows, to open an elective course for ensuring academic studies and disseminating it to other graduate and undergraduate colleges developing multi-media education. Green Thought Association (Yeşil Düşünce Derneği), as the key project partner helping to achieve the project objectives. Until now, the project has successfully prepared 5 radio programs on “Energy and Climate Change” and aired at Açık Radyo twice in a month. The university has activated the project website www.enerjiveiklim.org and it is possible to use the newly developed tool to compare energy efficiency and carbon footprint of certain household appliances models. Software has been developed for this tool to be activated as a mobile phone application and this will also be public at the end of the project. In addition, content of the elective course on energy efficiency has been developed as well as the online course materials and multi-media applications. Local visits to Bursa and Çanakkale for awareness raising activities have been productively completed and visit to Izmir will soon to be realized in the upcoming term. Furthermore, a two-day scientific conference on “Household Appliances and Climate Change” planned to be organized at the end of the project and aims to gather participants from the sector and universities.
Istanbul Aydın University’s (IAU) grant project titled “The Energy Efficiency and Increasing the Efficiency of Electrical Household Devices and Sustainability” mainly aims to create public awareness via R & D and laboratory training activities at the university. For this purpose, a Measurement and Analysis Laboratory for Energy Efficiency and Electrical Household Appliances has been established; lab infrastructure and installment of the devices have been completed. This Lab is to be used within the two energy efficiency courses designed under this project. The curriculum of the courses developed in this period and to be activated in the upcoming semesters. “Measurements and Efficiency Analysis of Electrical Household Appliances” is designed for the Mechanical Engineering Postgraduate Program in IAU Engineering Faculty as a mandatory course; whereas “Energy Efficiency and Techniques on Use of Electrical Household Appliances” course is designed for the Associate and Undergraduate Programs of IAU as an elective course. Furthermore, a training targeting working women and housewives has been developed. IAU is to collaborate with municipalities to organize and publicize this training on “Energy Efficiency in Dwellings and Measures Reducing Electrical Energy Consumption in Dwellings”.
Kadir Has University grant project titled “Raising Awareness in Energy Efficiency of Household Appliances and Climate Change”, targets women consumers and children. Within this context, three cities (Istanbul, Izmit and Bursa) have been visited to apply the pilot campaign for awareness raising in schools and conducted the survey with 1,300 women consumers including working women, house wives and female students. Awareness raising meetings supported with special brochures for kids and a demo of the newly developed computer game on “energy efficiency at home” have attracted the kids at schools as well as the parents. The game and the other awareness raising tools and activities are also available at the project website http://www.enerjifarkindaligi.org. The results of the survey have been partially shared at the Conference on “The Role of the Women in Energy Efficiency and Climate Change” in June 2014 at the University’s Cibali Campus in Istanbul; however the survey report and full results of the survey with an econometric analysis will be available at the end of the project in October 2014. Finally, the elective course titled “Gender, Woman Studies and Climate Change” has been prepared and started to be given since the Spring 2014. The video recordings of this pilot lecture series are also available at the project website.
Ozyegin University grant project titled “Raising Awareness and Transformation of Energy Efficient Television Technologies in Turkey (EVTV)” aims for transformation and adoption of energy efficient television technologies, raising public awareness about energy efficiency, environmental conservation, climate change. Initially a mobile energy demonstration center named LEDoid has been improved for involving TV technologies for the purpose of EVTV and installment of relevant research devices have been completed. A task group named EVTV working group composed of members from academia, government as well as industry has been formed to enhance the amount of academic research and improve the quality of current research activities on Energy Efficiency in TV Technologies in Turkey. The initial meeting of this EVTV platform was held at the university campus in Istanbul in June 2014. The curriculum of the course titled “Energy Efficient Television and Display Technologies” has been developed to be given as lecture targeting both senior undergraduate students as well as graduate students in the Fall 2014 semester. Furthermore, the International EVTV Summer Short Course has been planned with the involvement of international and national academicians and professionals to lecture participants from academia, sector and the ministries. Introducing EVTV technologies to people rapidly and effectively under this project via these courses as well as the use of LEDOID mobile technology center, it is aimed to increase the awareness and the know-how on EVTV systems for people from all age groups and educational backgrounds. Being the project partner, Yıldız Technical University, have also been contributing to this project.
EVUdP has been implemented by the General Directorate for Renewable Energy (GDRE) of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with financial assistance of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology (MoSIT), White Goods Manufacturers' Association of Turkey (TÜRKBESD), and Arçelik A.Ş are among the project partners of EVUdP.
Millions of people’s lives have improved due to concerted global, regional, national and local efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which serve as the foundation for the next global development agenda, according to a new report launched in June by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
With many MDG targets already met on reducing poverty, increasing access to improved drinking water sources, improving the lives of slum dwellers and achieving gender parity in primary school, The Millennium Development Goals Report 2014, says many more targets are within reach by their 2015 target date. If trends continue, the world will surpass MDG targets on malaria, tuberculosis and access to HIV treatment, and the hunger target looks within reach. Other targets, such as access to technologies, reduction of average tariffs, debt relief, and growing political participation by women, show great progress.
The MDG report is based on comprehensive official statistics and provides the most up-to-date summary of all Goals and their targets at global and regional levels, with additional national statistics available online. Results show that concentrated efforts to achieve MDG targets by national governments, the international community, civil society and the private sector are working to lift people out of extreme poverty and improve their futures.
“The Millennium Development Goals were a pledge to uphold the principles of human dignity, equality and equity, and free the world from extreme poverty,” Mr. Ban said. “The MDGs, with eight goals and a set of measurable time-bound targets, established a blueprint for tackling the most pressing development challenges of our time.”
Saving lives in many ways
According to the report, big MDG gains continue. Over the past 20 years, the likelihood of a child dying before age five has been nearly cut in half, which means about 17,000 children are saved every day. Globally, the maternal mortality ratio dropped by 45 per cent between 1990 and 2013.
Antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected people has saved 6.6 million lives since 1995, and expanding its coverage could save many more. Between 2000 and 2012, an estimated 3.3 million deaths from malaria were averted due to substantial expansion of malaria interventions. Since 1995, efforts to fight tuberculosis saved an estimated 22 million lives.
MDGs a foundation for next development agenda
With the targets for the MDGs set to conclude at the end of 2015, UN Member States are in the midst of considering a broader set of goals to follow that are likely to be agreed to by world leaders in September 2015. The report says continued progress towards the MDGs in the remaining year is essential for what comes next.
“Member States are now fully engaged in discussions to define Sustainable Development Goals, which will serve as the core of a universal post-2015 development agenda,” Mr. Ban said. “Our efforts to achieve the MDGs are a critical building block towards establishing a stable foundation for our development efforts beyond 2015.”
However, some MDG targets related to largely preventable problems with available solutions, such as reducing child and maternal mortality and increasing access to sanitation, are slipping away from achievement by 2015, despite major progress. The report calls on all stakeholders to focus and intensify efforts on the areas where advances have been too slow or not reached all.
Ending open defecation key to greater MDG success
Since 1990, 2.3 billion people have gained access to an improved drinking water source. Over one-quarter of the world’s population has gained access to improved sanitation since 1990, yet one billion people still resort to open defecation. The vast majority—82 per cent—of people practicing open defecation now live in middle-income, populous countries. Much greater effort and investment will be needed to alter inadequate sanitation facilities.
Accelerated action using known solutions needed to help women and children
Worldwide, almost 300,000 women died in 2013 from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Maternal death is mostly preventable, however. Most pregnant women in developing regions see a skilled health provider at least once, but only half get the recommended four antenatal check-ups. Preventable conditions, such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, are the main killers for children under age five. In 2012, an estimated 25 per cent of children under age five were stunted—having inadequate height for their age. While this is a significant decline from 40 per cent in 1990, 162 million young children still suffer from preventable chronic under-nutrition.
Ninety per cent of children in developing regions are attending primary school. Half of the 58 million out-of school children of primary school age live in conflict-affected areas. Children in conflict-affected areas, girls from poor rural households and children with disabilities are more likely to be out of school. High dropout rates remain a barrier to universal primary education.
Aid money hit record highs, but in decline to the poorest countries
After two years of declines, official development assistance hit a record high of $134.8 billion in 2013. However, aid shifted away from the poorest countries where attainment of the MDGs often lags the most. Eighty per cent of imports from developing countries entered developed countries duty-free, and tariffs remained at an all-time low. The debt burden of developing countries remained stable at about 3 per cent of export revenue, which was a near 75 per cent drop since 2000.
Better data would help deliver better results
Despite considerable advancements in recent years, the report says reliable statistics for monitoring development remain inadequate in many countries, but better statistical reporting on the MDGs has led to real results. For example, the number of Member States submitting progress reports on HIV/AIDS increased from 102 in 2004 to 186 in 2012. This helped galvanise global efforts. Funding for HIV programmes more than tripled compared to 2004, and 9.5 million people living with HIV were accessing antiretroviral treatment in 2012.
The Millennium Development Goals Report, an annual assessment of global and regional progress towards the Goals, reflects the most comprehensive, up-to-date data compiled by over 28 UN and international agencies and is produced by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
A complete set of the data used to prepare the report is available at mdgs.un.org
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Editor: Faik Uyanık
Assistant: Nazife Ece
Intern: Sena Şar, Doğa Bakar
Contributors to this issue: Birce Albayrak Coşkun, Ceyda Alpay, Deniz Tapan, Hansın Doğan, Nuri Özbağdatlı
© 2014 UNDP Turkey
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