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We are living in uncertain times. The COVID-19 pandemic, now in its third year, continues to spin off new variants. Ongoing conflicts and crises across the world are causing immense human suffering, while climate and ecological disasters threaten the world daily.
So where do we go from here so that people can thrive today and in the future? What is standing in the way of us acting together to address shared challenges? The newly released 2021/22 Human Development Report (HDR), “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World,” seeks to address these questions.
The 2021/22 HDR shows that for the first time in the 32 years that UNDP have been calculating it, the Human Development Index, which measures a nation’s health, education, and standard of living, has declined globally for two years in a row. Human development has fallen back to its 2016 levels, reversing much of the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Uncertainty is not new, but its dimensions are taking ominous new forms today. A new “uncertainty complex” is emerging, never before seen in human history, says the report.
However, the report ultimately argues that there is peril in new uncertainties but also promise an opportunity to reimagine our futures, to renew and adapt our institutions and to craft new stories about who we are and what we value.
Aiming to trigger a dynamic global discussion around the timely messages of the 2021/22 HDR, the global launch event will feature a high-level segment, followed by a Leaders Dialogue.
Eminent high-level speakers at the launch event include:
- António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
- Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania
- Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
- Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator
- Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Youth Envoy
- Michelle Yeoh, Actor and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador
- Mary Robinson, Chair of the Elders, Former President of Ireland
Follow the global launch event live in English, Spanish or French.
