Global Human Development Reports
The Human Development Report (HDR) was first launched in 1990 with the single goal of putting people back at the center of the development process in terms of economic debate, policy and advocacy. The goal was both massive and simple, with far-ranging implications — going beyond income to assess the level of people’s long-term well-being; bringing about development of the people, by the people, and for the people, and emphasizing that the goals of development are choices and freedoms.
Each report focuses on a highly topical theme in the current development debate, providing path-breaking analysis and policy recommendations. The Reports’ messages — and the tools to implement them — have been embraced by people around the world, evidenced by the publication of national human development reports at the country level in more than 140 nations.
Arab Human Development Reports
Building on the tradition of the Global Human Development Reports, the Arab Human Development Report (AHDR) has become a milestone in the discussion and debate on the reform agenda for human development in the Arab region.
Responding to a sense of urgency among Arabs about the precariousness of Arab countries at the start of the new Millennium, the first series of the AHDR (2002 – 2005) brought prominent teams of Arab intellectuals and practitioners together to analyze the three most pressing human development deficits in the region: knowledge, freedom, and women’s empowerment.
After the first report identified these three critical issues in 2002, the second report, in 2003, began the deep analysis of each deficit in turn. Entitled
Building a Knowledge Society, the 2003 Report explored the region’s knowledge deficit, addressing issues ranging from quality of education to freedom of opinion and expression. It argued that only on the basis of truly knowledge-based societies can the Arab States flourish and achieve genuine human development.
The third Report,
Towards Freedom in the Arab World (2004), surveyed the landscape of political reform, focusing on the paucity of freedom and good governance and the need for major reforms to tackle political restrictions that hinder human development in the Arab world.
Bringing the first series to a powerful close, the Arab Human Development Report 2005,
Towards the Rise of Women in the Arab World, shed light on the gender deficit in the Arab world, providing an overview of progress and challenges and a detailed analysis of the economic, social, political and legal factors that impede women’s empowerment.
The rigorous methodology, participatory processes, and well-publicized findings of the AHDR series ensured that the Reports achieved great impact. At the regional level, AHDR findings have informed UNDP projects focused on, for example, the introduction of quality assurance instruments in Arab universities, the evaluation of math and science education at the primary and intermediate levels, promoting greater public participation in political process, and building regional capacities for gender training and research. And AHDR recommendations are reflected at the national level as well, in changes ranging from education reforms and investment in research and development, to electoral reforms and anti-corruption initiatives, to increased participation of women in parliaments.
UNDP and its partners continue to advocate for human development through this proven approach: in 2008 the
Arab Human Development Report will return with the launch of a second series, focusing on the vital theme of Human Security. In four reports through 2011, the series will tackle the preeminent challenges facing the people of the Arab region, with a focus on those issues that impede human development by threatening the security of people’s lives and livelihoods. Through cutting-edge analysis and broad dissemination, the
Arab Human Development Report will continue to stimulate action for human development in the Arab World.
Please click here to learn more about the AHDR and to access the Reports.
National Human Development Reports in the Arab States
National Human Development Reports allow for our partners to place human development at the forefront of the national political agenda by focusing specifically on the issues that matter most to the particular country. A tool for policy analysis reflecting people's priorities, strengthening national capacities, engaging national partners, identifying inequities and measuring progress, national human development reports propose policy solutions that have been implemented in countries all around the world. Nearly 50 National Human Development Reports have been produced by country-level teams in the Arab States.
Please click here to view them.
