Gillian Lindsay-Nanton, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative, answers questions on the UNDP 2002 Human Development Report, at its launch at UNDP's Lady Musgrave Road offices yesterday. At right is Independent Senator Professor Trevor Munroe. - Dennis Coke /Staff Photographer JAMAICA HAS been making "inch by inch progress" in the criteria of human development over the last 10 years, with the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report showing minimal but progressive changes regarding human development compared to last year.
The UNDP launched the 2002 report at its offices on Lady Musgrave Road yesterday, titled 'Deepening Democracy in a Fragmented World'. UNDP began the annual reports in 1990.
The country currently stands at 86 out of 173 countries studied and ranked in the 'medium human development' category in the Human Development Index (HDI), next to countries like India, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. Last year the country ranked 70th in the same category, the slippage this year is less due to reduced development, than to an added 11 countries in the study, as well as refined methodology.
Regarding political rights and civil liberties, Jamaica scored two on a scale of 1-7, where one is the highest; on the issue of institutional framework for people to participate in the democratic life, for example having a proper electoral system and people's ability to vote, Jamaica scored nine out of 10 10 being the highest. In press freedom, in terms of how available the media is, how free from domination from the Government or a few wealthy groups, Jamaica scored 11 out of 100 which is the lowest. This puts our press freedom higher than that of the United States, Canada and Japan, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.
The country is shown to be on target to halve the proportion of people suffering from hunger, on track to eliminating gender disparity in all levels of education, but far behind in the target to reduce under-five and infant mortality rates by two-thirds.
Strengths are also needed in the area of law and order, the effectiveness of Government in combating corruption. The observance of human rights, the question of security forces being professionalised, properly trained and respectful of people's rights are also negatives to be worked on.
The HDI measures a country's achievements in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and adjusted real income.
Human development in this sense means more than individual and economy-based income levels and spans areas, including how informed and educated the country is, the capacity of its people to live long and healthy lives and how free its people are to take part in the decisions that impact their daily lives.
Independent Senator Professor Trevor Munroe said, in commenting on the ratings: "We're neither the best nor worst in the world...it's not dramatic, not spectacular, but steady inch by inch progress...
"Interestingly, even though we remain where we were in terms of the overall ranking, in terms of our performance in human development, in the index that says how much human development exists in the society, there has been very small but steady increase over the years.
"There is no doubt, as the report confirms, that small island states are at a deep disadvantage in the present world order," Senator Munroe said. "It is unequal, power is distributed in favour of the rich, the powerful and the few states that are industrialised."
He said though, that the report shows that small island states can make it, even in an unequal world without a level playing field.
There are seven small island states ranked in the category of 'high human development' including Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Barbados.
"The report confirms that small island states, with effort, with cohesion can in fact achieve high levels of human development," Senator Munroe said.
According to the report, security, like voting concerns, Senator Munroe said, is a global phenomenon, as in every single country for which data exist, there is dissatisfaction with political leadership, lack of confidence in government institutions and falling membership in political parties and declining levels of voting across the world.
