The world is in decline and almost no country is spared. This is the sad and worrying conclusion of a report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) published on Thursday 8 September. For the first time since its creation 32 years ago, the Human Development Index (HDI), qwhich takes into account life expectancy, level of education and standard of living, has fallen two years in a row, in 2020 and 2021.
The HDI is back to its 2016 level. “It means we die earlier, we are less educated and our incomes go down”explains Achim Steiner, the boss of UNDP, interviewed by AFP. “With these three parameters, you can get an idea of why people are starting to get desperate, frustrated, worried about the future”, he insists. Franceinfo summarizes what this report contains.
A decline affecting 9 out of 10 countries
The decline in the HDI concerns more than 90% of the countries of the planet, even if the inequalities between countries are still flagrant. At the top of the list are still Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. France is 28th, but its HDI has dropped, in particular because of life expectancy, which fell from 82.7 years in 2019 to 82.5 years in 2021. Between 2019 and 2021, the French gross national product per capita also fell by more than 1,000 dollars. Finally, the calculation of the level of education does not work in favor of France.
At the bottom of the ranking, we find South Sudan, ahead of Chad and Niger. And while some countries are beginning to recover from the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, many others in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia or the Caribbean have not had time to recover. that a new crisis was already brewing: the war in Ukraine.
And the Russian invasion is already raising fears for next year, with its impacts for food and energy security not yet factored into the 2021 Human Development Index. “Without a doubt, the outlook for 2022 is bleak”thus warns Achim Steiner.
A sharp decline in life expectancy
The decline in the human development index is largely explained by a drop of more than a year and a half in life expectancy between 2019 and 2021 (71.4 years in 2021 against 73 years in 2019) while that she tended to earn a few more months each year. “Despite the significant recovery of the economy in 2021, life expectancy continues to decline”, noted Pedro Conceiçao, the author of the report, during a press conference. According to him, this decline constitutes a “unprecedented shock”.
“In the United States, there has been a two-year drop in life expectancy. In other countries, the drop is even greater.”
Pedro Conceiçao, author of the reportat a press conference
A pandemic that reveals inequalities
While some countries are starting to pull their heads above water, Covid-19 has brought to light the inequalities that persist at the global level. “The differences in access to vaccines have shown how unequal our world has become and how access to something that can save life is conditioned on who has the biggest checkbook”observes Achim Steiner.
“The pandemic has been a painful reminder of how loss of trust and lack of cooperation – between and within nations – foolishly limits what we can achieve together.”
Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Programin the report
Added to this are the climatic disasters that have multiplied in recent years. This superimposition of events did not give people time to catch their breath. “We have experienced disasters before, we have had conflicts before, but the confluence of what we are facing today is a major setback for the development of humanity”insists the boss of the UNDP.
A paradoxical inability to act
The state of the world feeds “mistrust” and “frustration” across the planet, the UN is also alarmed. Thus, the report describes a world and a population “disturbed” by these piling up crises and the“uncertainty” ensuing. “People have lost confidence”believes Achim Steiner, who fears that frustrations will lead some people down the path of extremes and violence. “Our neighbors sometimes become the main threat. And that paralyzes us.”
“We can no longer continue with the rules of the game of the last century, focused on economic growth. The transformation we need requires new indicators: low carbon, less inequality, more sustainability…”
Achim Steiner, UNDP Administratorat AFP
The report therefore suggests focusing on three areas: investing in renewable energy and preparing for future pandemics, promoting insurance (including social protection) to absorb shocks, and innovating to build capacity to cope with future seizures. “Perhaps the real paradox of our times is our failure to act, despite mounting evidence of the distress that human pressures on the planet are causing ecological and social systems”notes the report.