By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
At the Launch of the Human Development Report (HDR) of 2023/2024, Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has given assurances of the Government’s plan to expand on financial mechanisms and international cooperation that will complement humanitarian assistance and development.
The report titled: “Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarized World” launched on the 21st of March 2024 in Freetown highlights that inequalities between the rich and the poor countries continue to rise, despite the existing global interdependencies. It stated that the world is off track to meet the 2030 Agenda and the promise to leave no one behind.
VP Jalloh noted that the publication of the HDR is no doubt a valuable exercise of the United Nations since 1990, with the approach essentially about expanding opportunities for human development.
“I am very pleased that the report captures the trend not only in Sierra Leone but also in the sub-region which explains why the HDR is very important and therefore becomes the cornerstone for shaping development discourse not only in low-income countries but also developed countries,” he said.
He pointed out that the report launched raises more questions than answers and it shows that policymakers and development partners including the West have to do more to reverse the trend. He added that the report no doubt presents a picture of growing inequality, political polarization, and uneven progress.
He spotted in the report a steep decline in the Global Human Development Index especially during COVID-19. He said when they were elected into office in 2018, they tried to streamline the economy by opening a single currency account, and “we were very bullish in making sure that we put 22% of the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to education, increasing budgetary allocation in health from 6% to 9% in the first two years.”
The Vice President stated that by 2018, there had been a lot of security challenges in the Sahel region as a result of the conflict in Libya. He said that the new dimension in the last couple of years is democratic reversal which the report made mention of.
“Today more than many other times, there has been an increase in military coups in West Africa which increases not only the security challenges but also reduces the development opportunities,” he said.
He affirmed that the West African sub-region and sub-Saharan Africa saw increased fragility which means that it has affected countries’ efforts to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), saying the implications are exactly what the report presented.
He explained that they have done “extremely well in the key elements of the SDGs which is essentially around the social sector by making massive investment from 22% in education, 11.2% in health, expand opportunities to inclusiveness and opportunities for women.”
Dr. Jalloh reiterated that the report outlines critical recommendations that when building the partnership needed there will be shared global public goods.
In his statement, UNDP Resident Representative in Sierra Leone, Frederick Hons Ampiah said that the HDR is one of the most important flagships for UNDP. He said the launching of the report means that they have embarked on the journey guided by hope, determination, and a shared vision for a better tomorrow.
He went on to note that the data presented in the report paints a picture of the current state of human development in Sierra Leone and globally. He said that Sierra Leone ranked 185 out of 193 countries with a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.458 placing it among the top-bottom countries in terms of human development progress which underscores the urgency for concerted efforts in action.
Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Kenyeh Ballay in her address recognized that human development is a multi-dimensional process that covers many aspects of life and that people as part of humanity deserve decent living. He noted that Human development builds resilience which in turn reduces vulnerability to shocks.
He said the global human development report is invaluable not only in building the status of human development, but also in expanding on the key drives of human development like macro-economic stability, health, water and sanitation, education, food security and nutrition, and gender empowerment.
A PowerPoint presentation of the Human Development Report for 2023/2024, by the UNDP Economic Adviser, Mabulara Tsene was also a key highlight of the launching.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (28/03/24)
