The UN Human Development Report (UNHDR) 2009 is now out, and was launched in North America today (see Canadian press report and UNHDR 2009). It has Barbados ranked 37th, amongst the countries with 'very high human development', which is led by a top five of Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, and Ireland. While remaining first amongst Caribbean countries, that looks like a slip from 31st in the 2007/8 report (see UNHDR 2007/8). We can argue the pants off that movement, which is capturing some effects from the early part of the current recession. Antigua and Barbuda squeak into the top 50 at number 47.
Ironically the report's theme this year is 'Overcoming Barriers: Human mobility and development'. Now what a theme that is for Barbados and the Caribbean. The report has some cool features, including an interactive map of migration by country. That too could offer some soup to stir in a pot.
I am interested to see how the local politicians and media play with this report over the coming days.
Something always catches the eyes in such reports. This year, my eyes lit on Cuba (51) sitting ahead of The Bahamas (52). They also lit on Nigeria sitting so low (158)--with all that oil--and behind Uganda, but way behind know hellholes like Equatorial Guinea (118), which somehow rank higher than Egypt (123) and South Africa (129).
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3 comments:
Actually, Barbados is up by 2 from the last report - see the last page here: http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Summary.pdf
Chike,
Thanks, I had noted that table, but it sits oddly with the figures I cite from the 2007/8 report; UNDP will have to figure that out.
It's ironic that in today's Nation, we have a story of a community taking public road works into its own hands, because of a lack of public funds (see http://www.nationnews.com/news/local/rockhampton-road-update-FRONT-PAGE-OTHER). As the report states: 'Harper Valley, Rockhampton Road, Jackson, St Michael, [residents] are doing the work themselves.
The residents decided to take matters into their own hands after waiting for three years for the road which was once a mud track, to be completed.'
There are facts and there are statistics.
It took more than a few days for local politicians to get their teeth into this issue, but now they have, see http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=politics&NewsID=7094. Senator Liz Thompson wanted to say the drop was due to the current DLP government. Former PM, Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford, pointed out that given the timing of the data in the report any decline should be seen as due to the former BLP administration. Under his administration he claimed the index reached its highest level.
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