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A new report issued by the UN Development Program says all 38 countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have achieved higher human development while more than half of the 35 least developed countries (LDCs) have declined in the last three years. This uneven progress in human development between rich and poor has widened inequality and inflamed political polarization. Following is a press release from UNDP.

New York, 13 March 2024 – Uneven development progress is leaving the poorest behind, exacerbating inequality, and stoking political polarization on a global scale. The result is a dangerous gridlock that must be urgently tackled through collective action, according to a new report released today by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The 2023/24 Human Development Report (HDR), titled “Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining cooperation in a polarized world”, reveals a troubling trend: the rebound in the global Human Development Index (HDI) – a summary measure reflecting a country’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, education, and life expectancy – has been partial, incomplete, and unequal.

Read the full report https://hdr.undp.org/human-development-report-2023-24

The HDI is projected to reach record highs in 2023 after steep declines during 2020 and 2021. But this progress is deeply uneven. Rich countries are experiencing record-high levels of human development while half of the world’s poorest countries remain below their pre-crisis level of progress.

Global inequalities are compounded by substantial economic concentration. As referenced in the report, almost 40 percent of global trade in goods is concentrated in three or fewer countries; and in 2021 the market capitalization of each of the three largest tech companies in the world surpassed the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than 90 percent of countries that year.

“The widening human development gap revealed by the report shows that the two-decade trend of steadily reducing inequalities between wealthy and poor nations is now in reverse. Despite our deeply interconnected global societies, we are falling short. We must leverage our interdependence as well as our capacities to address our shared and existential challenges and ensure people’s aspirations are met,” said Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Program.

 “This gridlock carries a significant human toll. The failure of collective action to advance action on climate change, digitalization or poverty and inequality not only hinders human development but also worsens polarization and further erodes trust in people and institutions worldwide.”

The report argues that advancing international collective action is hindered by an emerging ‘democracy paradox’: while 9 in 10 people worldwide endorse democracy, over half of global survey respondents express support for leaders that may undermine it by bypassing fundamental rules of the democratic process, as per data analyzed in the report. Half of people surveyed worldwide report having no or limited control over their lives, and over two-thirds believe they have little influence on their government’s decisions.

Political polarization is also a growing concern with global repercussions. Along with a sense of powerlessness, report authors say, it is fueling inward-turning policy approaches – starkly at odds with the global cooperation needed to address urgent issues like the decarbonization of our economies, misuse of digital technologies, and conflict. This is particularly alarming in light of 2023’s record-breaking temperatures, which emphasize the immediate need for united action to tackle the climate crisis, or in the advent of artificial intelligence as a new and fast-evolving technological frontier with little or no regulatory guard rails.

The report highlights that deglobalization is neither feasible nor realistic in today’s world and that economic interdependence remains high. It points out that no region is close to self-sufficiency, as all rely on imports from other regions of 25 percent or more of at least one major type of goods and services.

“In a world marked by increasing polarization and division, neglecting to invest in each other poses a serious threat to our wellbeing and security. Protectionist approaches cannot address the complex, interconnected challenges we face, including pandemic prevention, climate change, and digital regulation,” Steiner added. “Our problems are intertwined, requiring equally interconnected solutions. By adopting an opportunity-driven agenda that emphasizes the benefits of the energy transition and of artificial intelligence for human development, we have a chance to break through the current deadlock and reignite a commitment to a shared future.”

The report emphasizes how global interdependence is being reconfigured and calls for a new generation of global public goods. It proposes four areas for immediate action:

–        planetary public goods, for climate stability, as we confront the unprecedented challenges of the Anthropocene;

–        digital global public goods, for greater equity in harnessing new technologies for equitable human development;

–        new and expanded financial mechanisms, including a novel track in international cooperation that complements humanitarian assistance and traditional development aid to low-income countries; and

–        dialling down political polarization through new governance approaches focused on enhancing people’s voices in deliberation and tackling misinformation.

In this context, multilateralism plays a fundamental role, the report argues, because bilateral engagements are not able to address the irreducibly planetary nature of the provision of global public goods.

More key data from the report:

•       In 2023, all 38 countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) achieved higher Human Development Index (HDI) scores compared to their levels in 2019.

•       Among the 35 least developed countries (LDCs) that experienced a decline in their HDI in 2020 and/or 2021, more than half (18 countries) have not yet recovered to their human development levels of 2019.

•       All developing regions have not met their anticipated HDI levels based on the trend before 2019. It appears they have shifted to a lower HDI trajectory, indicating potential permanent setbacks in future human development progress.

•       The impact of human development losses is in sharp focus in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Afghanistan’s HDI has been knocked back by a staggering ten years, while Ukraine’s HDI dropped to its lowest level since 2004.

•       The report cites research indicating that countries with populist governments have lower GDP-growth rates. Fifteen years after a populist government assumes office, the GDP per capita is found to be 10 percent lower than it might under a non-populist government scenario.

Read the full report https://hdr.undp.org/human-development-report-2023-24

Media contacts:

For more information or to request an interview, contact:

In New York City: stanislav.saling@undp.org +1 347 653 1980 or victor.garrido.delgado@undp.org +1 917 995 1687

In Geneva: sarah.bel@undp.org +41 79 934 11 17

About UNDP

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP.

About the Human Development Report Office

The mission of the Human Development Report Office (HDRO) is to advance human development. The goal is to contribute towards the expansion of opportunities, choice, and freedom. The office works towards this goal by promoting innovative new ideas, advocating practical policy changes, and constructively challenging policies and approaches that constrain human development. The office works with others to achieve change through writing and research, data analysis and presentation, support to national and regional analysis and outreach and advocacy work.

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New York, February 13, 2024 – The ongoing climate crisis and conflict have reversed progress aimed at ending hunger worldwide as more people go to bed hungry while food prices remain high, UN officials told a Security Council meeting on global peace and security.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said climate and conflict have become “leading drivers” of the global food crisis, displacement of people, destruction of agriculture and damage to infrastructure. Climate chaos alone has imperiled global food production and was the main causes of acute food insecurity for almost 174 million people in 2022.

The World Food Program estimated that over 330 million people were affected in 2023 and warned of an acute deterioration in 18 “hunger hotspots” early in 2024.

“I am dismayed to say that our world today is teeming with examples of the devastating relationship between hunger and conflict,” Guterres said.

The UN chief and heads of UN agencies said 13 million people in Syria go to bed hungry after the country suffered 10 years of war and deadly earthquakes while in Myanmar conflict and political instability have reversed progress on ending hunger.

“In Gaza, no one has enough to eat,” Guterres said. “Of the 700,000 hungriest people in the world, four in five inhabit that tiny strip of land,” he said. “In many places, climate disasters add another dimension. Every one of the 14 countries most at risk from climate change are suffering conflict. Thirteen of them face humanitarian crisis this year.”

The UN said about 16 million people in Ethiopia required food assistance in the wake of a war followed by drought and the situation worsened by the influx of refugees fleeing the conflict in neighboring Sudan. In Haiti, millions of people need assistance as the country is battered by hurricanes, violence and lawlessness.

“To avoid mounting threats to international peace and security, we must step in and act now to break the deadly links between conflict, climate and food insecurity,” Guterres told the 15-nation Security Council under the presidency of Guyana. He called on “all parties” in a conflict to abide by international humanitarian law.

“Starvation of civilians may constitute a war crime, and humanitarians must have unimpeded access to civilians in need,” he said, adding that the UN council has a critical role in demanding compliance and holding those who breach its resolutions to account.

He called on countries to fund humanitarian operations in full “to prevent disaster and conflict from feeding hunger” and “create the conditions to resolve conflict and preserve peace – within countries and between countries.” This is in reference to countries that have suspended funding of the UN relief organization for Palestinians in Gaza.

He called on the council to “get a grip on the climate crisis to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Because climate action is action for food security and action for peace. G20 nations must lead a just global phase out of fossil fuels, in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances. And all countries must create ambitious new national climate action plans – or nationally determined contributions – by 2025, that align with the 1.5-degree limit.”

Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said climate and conflict are the most important issues requiring urgent action to address global food insecurity.

“The scientific evidence and the policy direction are clear – climate change is compromising food security, and its impacts are a growing threat to international peace and security. It is having alarming effect on people, the planet and …what I would like to address… agrifood systems – meaning how and when we produce, harvest, process and store our food.”

Bechdol said, according to the 2023 Global Report on Food Crises, the main drivers of food insecurity and hunger around the world are conflict and climate change, which affected 258 million people in 58 countries.

“As much as 70 percent of the most climate-vulnerable countries are also among the most politically and economically fragile,” Bechdol said. “Climate change will undo progress made in alleviating hunger, but as it intensifies it will create further disruptions and continue to be a driver of conflict.“

Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

“The combination of climate change, hunger, and war is a devastating one. There is no national security without food security. And there will be no food security without enhanced action to stop climate change,” Stiell told the council meeting, pointing out that there are solutions and ways forward.

“This Council should be requesting a regular stream of information on climate security risks. The UNFCCC can help in the development of these updates,” Stiell said, adding that countries that attended the climate summit in Dubai in December 2023 had agreed to begin investing in “designing, piloting, and delivering, climate adaptation plans for food systems from planting new crops to better meteorological information and communication.” He said countries need money for climate adaptation, particularly developing countries that are vulnerable to climate shocks but many of them are already facing scarcity, fragility and conflict.

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Geneva/New York, January 31, 2024 – Decisions by key donors to suspend funding for the main UN relief agency in Gaza will collapse the massive humanitarian operations that have been assisting millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the region, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) said as the Israel-Hamas war continues to impact on the displaced population.

UN Secretary-General Antonio said the humanitarian system in Gaza is “collapsing” and he called on UN member states to guarantee the continuity of the saving-life work of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). He said the agency is the “backbone” of all humanitarian assistance in Gaza as well as Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

“I am extremely concerned by the inhumane conditions faced by Gaza’s 2.2 million people, as they struggle to survive without any of the basics,” Guterres told the 2024 Session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People at UN Headquarters in New York.

 “Everyone in Gaza is hungry, while half a million grapple with catastrophic levels of food insecurity,” he said. “I call for rapid, safe, unhindered, expanded and sustained humanitarian access throughout Gaza.”

The Geneva-based IASC said in a statement signed by leaders of 14 relief agencies that allegations of involvement, while “horrifying,” by several staff members of the UNRWA in the October 7 attacks on Israel should not stop the relief work of the agencies.

“However, we must not prevent an entire organization from delivering on its mandate to serve people in desperate need,” the statement said. “The harrowing events that have been snowballing in Gaza since 7 October have left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and on the brink of famine. UNRWA, as the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza, has been providing food, shelter and protection, even as its own staff members were being displaced and killed. “

“Decisions by various Member States to pause funds from UNRWA will have catastrophic consequences for the people of Gaza. No other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2.2 million people in Gaza urgently need. We appeal for these decisions to be reconsidered.

“UNRWA has announced a full, independent review of the organization, and the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services has been activated.

“Withdrawing funds from UNRWA is perilous and would result in the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences in the occupied Palestinian territory and across the region. The world cannot abandon the people of Gaza.”

Governments last year pledged $1.17 billion to UNRWA, but recently the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland have decided to suspend their contributions after Israel charged 12 UNWRA staff members with taking part in the Hamas-led attacks on the country last October 7, which killed 1,200 people and captured 240 hostages. Gaza authorities reported that over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed.

The 14 IASC signatories to the appeal are: Martin Griffiths, Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); Jane Backhurst, Chair, ICVA (Christian Aid); Jamie Munn, Executive Director, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA); Amy E. Pope, Director General, International Organization for Migration (IOM); Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); Paula Gaviria Betancur, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (SR on HR of IDPs); Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA);  Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); Michal Mlynár, Executive Director a.i., United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat); Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF);  Sima Bahous, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women; Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP); Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO)

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Oslo/New York, January 29, 2024 – The decisions by major donors to suspend financial aid to the UN relief agency in the Middle East will cut off life-saving assistance to over 2 million Palestinians who are already living under worsening conditions caused by the war, a group of 20 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) said.

Many countries last year pledged $1.17 billion to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA), the main humanitarian organization in Gaza. But the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland have decided to suspend their contributions after Israel charged 12 UNWRA staff members with taking part in the Hamas-led attacks on the country last October 7, which killed 1,200 people and captured 240 hostages.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said 20 NGOs signed a joint statement to express “deep concern and outrage” that some of the largest donors have united to suspend funding for UNRWA amid a rapidly worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Following is the statement:

“As aid organizations, we are deeply concerned and outraged that some of the largest donors have united to suspend funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main aid provider for millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the region. This comes amid a rapidly worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

The suspension of funding by donor states will impact life-saving assistance for over two million civilians, over half of whom are children, who rely on UNRWA aid in Gaza. The population faces starvation, looming famine and an outbreak of disease under Israel’s continued indiscriminate bombardment and deliberate deprivation of aid in Gaza.

We welcome UNRWA’s swift investigation into the alleged involvement of a small number of UN staff members in the October 7th attacks. We are shocked by the reckless decision to cut a lifeline for an entire population by some of the very countries that had called for aid in Gaza to be stepped up and for humanitarians to be protected while doing their job. This decision comes as the International Court of Justice ordered immediate and effective action to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.

152 UNRWA staff have already been killed and 145 UNRWA facilities damaged by bombardment. UNRWA is the largest humanitarian agency in Gaza and their delivery of humanitarian assistance cannot be replaced by other agencies working in Gaza. If the funding suspensions are not reversed we may see a complete collapse of the already restricted humanitarian response in Gaza.

With approximately over one million displaced Palestinians taking shelter in or around 154 UNRWA shelters, the agency and aid organisations have continued to work in near impossible circumstances to provide food, vaccinations, and freshwater. The countries suspending funds risk further depriving Palestinians in the region of essential food, water, medical assistance and supplies, education and protection.

We urge donor states to reaffirm support for the vital work that UNRWA and its partners do to help Palestinians survive one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of our times. Countries must reverse these funding suspensions, uphold their duties towards the Palestinian people and scale up humanitarian assistance for civilians in dire need in Gaza and the region.”

Signed: War Child Alliance, ActionAid, Norwegian Refugee Council, Diakonia, Oxfam, Première Urgence Internationale, Médecins du Monde France, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Germany, Danish Refugee Council, Johanniter International Assistance, The Association of International Development Agencies – Aida, Humanity & Inclusion/ Handicap International (HI), INTERSOS, CCFD-Terre Solidaire, International Council for Voluntary Agencies, Norwegian People’s Aid, Plateforme des ONG françaises pour la Palestine, Norwegian Church Aid, DanChurchAid, American Friends Service Committee, Caritas Internationalis and Save the Children.

UN chief appeals to donors to maintain their pledges

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres promptly responded to Israel’s charges against the UNRWA staff members, saying had immediately taken action against several of those members.

“Any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution. The Secretariat is ready to cooperate with a competent authority able to prosecute the individuals in line with the Secretariat’s normal procedures for such cooperation.

UNRWA had also previously announced a full, independent review of the organization on 17 January,” Guterres said in a statement issued January 28.

“Meanwhile, 2 million civilians in Gaza depend on critical aid from UNRWA for daily survival but UNRWA’s current funding will not allow it to meet all requirements to support them in February. While I understand their concerns – I was myself horrified by these accusations – I strongly appeal to the governments that have suspended their contributions to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations.

“The abhorrent alleged acts of these staff members must have consequences. But the tens of thousands of men and women who work for UNRWA, many in some of the most dangerous situations for humanitarian workers, should not be penalized. The dire needs of the desperate populations they serve must be met.”

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New York, January 25, 2024 – The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said attacks on shipping in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels in Yemen has caused significant disruptions in shipments of grains and other key commodities from Europe, Russia and Ukraine.

The UN agency said the escalating crisis is leading to increased costs for consumers and posing serious risks to global food security, especially in regions like East Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, which heavily rely on wheat imports from Europe and the Black Sea area.

“We are concerned that the attacks on Red Sea shipping are adding tensions to a context of global trade disruptions due to geopolitics and climate change,” said Jan Hoffmann, head of UNCTAD’s trade facilitation section.

He said maritime trade carries around 80 % of the goods the world trade, and the percentage is even higher for developing countries.

“These disruptions underline global trade’s vulnerability to geopolitical tensions and climate challenges,” Hoffmann said, adding that the situation will have a dramatic impact on shipping costs and rates and the container shipping sector is facing a significant challenge.

The agency said early data from 2024 showed that over 300 container vessels, over 20 % of global container capacity, were diverting from or planning alternatives to the Suez Canal. The canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and handles about 12 % to 15 % of global trade in 2023.

The Houthi-led attacks in the Red Sea beginning of November 2023 have decreased trade volume through the Suez Canal by 42 % in the last two months and compelled some shipping industries to temporarily halt Suez transits and search for other routes.

“But other major routes are already under strain,” Hoffmann said, pointing that the war in Ukraine and other geopolitical tensions have reshaped oil and grain trade routes.

Compounding the shipping crisis, UNCTAD said the Panama Canal, a key route for global trade, has been hit by a severe drought which lowered its water levels to the lowest in decades and has severely reduced traffic through the canal. It said total transits through the canal were 36 % lower than one year ago and 62 % lower than two years ago.

UN says Houthi’s request to withdraw UN staff has no legal basis

The UN confirmed that Houthi rebels have demanded in a letter that UN staff in Sana’a be withdrawn.

Confirming the order from the de facto authorities, who control the capital Sana’a along with many other areas of the war-torn country, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters that the demand ran counter to the legal conditions under which the UN and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operate.

Dujarric stressed that “any request or requirement for UN staff to leave based solely on the nationality of that staff is inconsistent with the legal framework applicable to the UN.”

Dujarric noted that it also “impedes our ability to deliver on the mandate to support all of the people in Yemen, and we call on all the authorities in Yemen, to ensure that our staff can continue to perform their functions on behalf of the UN”.

The letter from the Houthi’s de facto foreign ministry in the capital was reportedly sent to the UN’s acting Humanitarian Coordinator, Peter Hawkins, himself a British national. It reportedly also ordered foreign organizations not to hire US and British personnel going forward.

Dujarric emphasized that UN staff “serve impartially and serve the flag of the UN – and none other”.

Houthi authorities in Yemen on Wednesday have ordered UN and other humanitarian staff holding US and UK passports to leave the country within a month.

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