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Report. Multiple Gender Dimensions.
UNDP HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2011
The 2011 Human Development Report argues that the urgent
global challenges of sustainability and equity must be addressed together – and
identifies policies on the national and global level that could spur mutually
reinforcing progress towards these interlinked goals. Bold action is needed on
both fronts, the Report contends, if the recent human development progress for
most of the world’s poor majority is to be sustained, for the benefit of future
generations as well as for those living today. Past Reports have shown that
living standards in most countries have been rising - and converging - for
several decades now. Yet the 2011 Report projects a disturbing reversal of
those trends if environmental deterioration and social inequalities continue to
intensify, with the least developed countries diverging downwards from global
patterns of progress by 2050.
The Report shows further how the
world’s most disadvantaged people suffer the most from environmental
degradation, including in their immediate personal environment, and
disproportionately lack political power, making it all the harder for the world
community to reach agreement on needed global policy changes. The Report also
outlines great potential for positive synergies in the quest for greater
equality and sustainability, especially at the national level. The Report
further emphasizes the human right to a healthy environment, the importance of
integrating social equity into environmental policies, and the critical
importance of public participation and official accountability. The 2011 Report
concludes with a call for bold new approaches to global development financing
and environmental controls, arguing that these measures are both essential and
feasible.