One of the chief merits of the Human Development Report 1997, published today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is its determination to think about the world in a unitary fashion. It dares to be optimistic about achievements in the last five decades, pointing out that more progress has been made in this period than in the previous five centuries, as developing countries have halved child death rates since 1960, reduced malnutrition by one third and raised school enrolment rates by one quarter. And it shows that for the developing world as much progress has been made in eradicating poverty over the last 30 years as the industrial world did in a century. Nonetheless, poverty, the focus of this year's report, afflicts both the developing world, where one quarter of the world's population is directly affected, and also the richer countries, where there are more than 100 million so affected.
Ireland is ranked 17th out of 175 states in terms of human development, up two places since last year, compared to 25th place in the average income league. But the report's valuable methodology also highlights inequality here, with an estimated 37 per cent living in relative poverty in the year 1987, much more than was the case in other industrialised states and more akin to developing than developed countries. A lot of this is explained by continuing high unemployment and the figure has surely come down in the meantime, but it is still seriously disquieting.
These rankings are computed by a comprehensive approach to human wellbeing, taking full account of such factors as gender equality, health facilities, sustainable development and educational achievement and of ill being, defined in terms of vulnerability to death at an early age, the prevalence of illiteracy and access to health services, safe water and adequate food.
The indices have been defined by some of the world's most respected researchers. They are intended to highlight a concrete programme to tackle poverty, taking full account of empowerment and participation, gender equality, growth, much more careful management of globalisation and targeted special international support. The report gives examples of dramatic changes in a number of countries such as Oman and Thailand in recent decades, which provide valuable lessons and grounds for optimism that contradict the assumption that poverty is an intractable and abiding reality of human society. It does not disguise major problem areas, including the great deterioration of social conditions in Russia and parts of Africa.
This report identifies ways and means of tackling world poverty by integrating that task with more effective economic management and policies for social cohesion. It has lessons for citizens of richer and poorer states not least for Ireland. The outgoing Rainbow government developed an impressive approach to Ireland's development aid policies, focussed on helping some of the world's poorest peoples and inspired by much of the approach taken in the UNDP document. It also launched an antipoverty programme at home. It is to be hoped that these priorities will continue to inform Irish policy, in line with repeated commitments made by Fianna Fail in recent years.