People-centered policies and investments important for human development
By Chen Yingqun | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2023-11-14 19:03
People-centered policies and investments, inclusive and sustainable growth and global action are important for human development in a time marked by concurrent global crises, a forum told on Monday.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China and the China Institute for Development Planning of Tsinghua University co-hosted a high-level policy dialogue focusing on pathways for advancing human development.
Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, said that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the impacts of climate change, demographic shifts and technological changes, human development has been significantly disrupted. From 2020 to 2021, human development saw a global regression for the first time over two consecutive years.
The Asia-Pacific region is currently not on track to achieve any of the Sustainable Development Goals until 2065, she said. Her team just launched the 2024 Asia-Pacific Human Development Report last week in Japan.
Wignaraja gave three key recommendations to accelerate human development based on the report. First, people-centric perspectives and the interests of future generations should be placed at the center of decision-making. Second, the world must pivot toward the right kind of growth, which prioritizes inclusivity and sustainability, going hand in hand with new competitiveness. And lastly, the ability to get things done, relying on the actions taken by leaders and institutions.
Peng Gang, vice-president of Tsinghua University, said that in an era of rapid and unprecedented global changes, the world must explore strategies for navigating the increasingly volatile and complex global environment, rebuilding the confidence and consensus of all people to work together for development. "China has historically made substantial contributions to global human development and sustainable development, and will continue to play an increasingly important role in the future," he said.
