Nov 02 2011 |
more articles from
|
Regional unrest did not hurt pace of development
Wednesday, Nov 02, 2011
Dubai The Arab Spring, which was fuelled by inequality and gaps between social classes, has not affected the rating of the Arab countries in the UN Human Development Report for 2011 released yesterday, an expert said.
“The index is not immediately affected by these changes,” said Noeman Al Sayyad, a media adviser at the UNDP, referring to the unrest sweeping many countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Human Development Index is a measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development such as a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.
High living standards
The UAE, Qatar and Bahrain were placed in the category of the very high human development, while Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman were classified under the high human development category.
The main factors that are used for the index, education, health and income, are not immediately affected by the Arab Spring, Al Sayyed said.
“Though one of the reasons behind the Arab Spring was the dissatisfaction from the gaps in the Arab societies, among the generations and among the social classes,” Al Sayyad told Gulf News.
The UNDP’s report, Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All” put Norway at the top of the index, followed by Australia and the Netherlands.
The United States came fourth, followed by New Zealand.
The report comes about eight months ahead of the summit in Rio de Janeiro, which will aim to agree on a future plan of action to safeguard the planet.
By Jumana Al Tamimi?Associate Editor
© Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
© Copyright Zawya. All Rights Reserved.
Post Your Comment