Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
JAMAICA HAS dropped 19 places and continues to trail behind several Caribbean neighbours in its Human Development Index (HDI) which measures the level of prosperity a country provides its citizens.
The country is been ranked 98th in the world in the latest United Nations (UN) Human Development Report. It was ranked at 79th last year.
The report was released last night at the 60th celebration of UN Day at Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.
Barbados is ranked 30th, down one place from last year while the Bahamas gained one place to rank 50th this year. Trinidad and Tobago was ranked 57th, down three places from last year.
The HDI is released annually and measures the quality of life each country provides.
WHAT IS THE HDI
The HDI is a measure of life expectancy at birth, adult literacy rate, combined gross enrolment ratio for schools, per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), life expectancy and education, along with some other factors.
Speaking at the launch last night, UN resident co-ordinator in Jamaica, Juan Carlos Espinola, said human safety and security remain some of the most complex and worrisome issues facing the global community.
"The growing levels of domestic crime and violence which countries like Jamaica are facing today, should not be seen as unique or an isolated case, but as part of a wider trend which at the end can derail the very essence of democratic governance," he said.
Mr. Espinola also pointed to what he said were persistent problems of gender inequality, human rights issues, social under-development, maternal mortality, and HIV/AIDS, which he said continued to permeate Latin America and the Caribbean.
He noted however that part of the UN's mandate was to support the development of middle and low-level income countries.
"The UN has therefore been a major advocate of measures to assist in national efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," Mr. Espinola said.
