Human Development Report 2016 launched |11 April 2017
Seychelles maintains 63rd place
Seychelles has maintained its 63rd position worldwide and 1st in Africa in the 2016 Human Development Report from 198 countries and ahead of neighbour Mauritius which is in the 64th position.
This came out on Friday afternoon during a forum to launch the Human Development Report (HDR) 2016.
A copy of the HDR 2016 entitled ‘Human Development for Everyone’ was presented to the Minister for Family Affairs Jeanne Simeon by Roland Alcindor, the programme manager of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) during the forum.
The report, launched globally on March 21, 2017 by the Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven and the UNDP administrator Helen Clark, looks at the achievements and significant gains in human development levels in almost every country over the past decades; but also at the millions of people who have not benefitted from this progress.
The HDR 2016 addresses two very pertinent questions: Who have been left behind and why? It also identifies substantial barriers to development and recognises that in every society certain groups are far more likely to suffer disadvantages than others.
The HDR sets forward policy recommendations at the national level and looks at ways in which the global development landscape – particularly multilateral organisations – could be made more effective in the fight to leave no one behind and achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Representatives from different ministries, members of the National Assembly and of the diplomatic corps, consultants, among other guests attended the forum which discussed Seychelles’ immense achievements and gains in human development as well as the numerous developmental challenges we face as a nation and as a small island developing state.
Speaking after the discussions, Minister Simeon noted that like many other countries Seychelles also has a group of people who are vulnerable and are living below an acceptable level and who need help and as a country we need to continue to find ways to address such situations to ensure nobody is left behind.
She noted that if all the time there are people who are left behind, even though we continue to make progress, our progress as a country will also be slowed down.
For his part Mr Alcindor also echoed Minister Simeon’s remarks and went on to note that numerous challenges remain for Seychelles in spite of all its progress, achievements and gains.
“In education for instance in spite of the high enrollment ratio do our pupils get the quality education after completing certain level? In health can the system we have provide the quality health services and care everyone needs and is demanding?” Mr Alcindor pointed out.
He went on to add that when considering the social ills affecting our communities and families we see that many people are suffering from mostly self-inflicted illnesses which have an impact on life expectancy and subsequently these impact on a country’s ranking.
He said these are challenges we face and need to continue addressing.
With regard to income a big challenge which came out of the discussions was the great disparity and
inequitable distribution of income. The gap between those who earn very little and those who earn more was considered too big.
Recommendations of the report will be considered and taken onboard by governments and be incorporated in decision-making and national policies to continue to address the weaknesses and shortcomings impeding progress in human development.
An electronic copy of the 2016 HDR can be read and downloaded from the following link:http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-report-2016-human-development-everyone