through each of its pillars. Employment creation and enterprise development provide income and livelihoods to people, are crucial instruments for equity, are a means for participation and facilitate self-esteem and dignity. Workers’ rights support human development by ensuring human rights, human freedom and labour standards. Social protection contributes to human development by ensuring safety nets, protecting people from risks and vulnerabilities and providing care work. And social dialogue helps human development through broad-based
The notion of human development is still relevant for development discourse —even more so in today’s world
The world has changed dramatically, but the concept of human development remains as relevant as ever— if not more so The world today is very different from the world in 1990, when the notion of human development and its measures to assess human well-being were launched. Since then, the development canvas has changed, global growth centres have shifted, important demographic transitions have materialized and a fresh wave of development challenges has emerged. The global economy is changing. The influence of emerging economies is rising. Developed economies’ share of global GDP (based on purchasing power parity dollars) fell from 54 percent in 2004 to 43 percent in 2014. Politically, the desire for freedom and voice has swept different parts of the world. The digital revolution has changed the ways we think and operate. Inequalities have gone up. Human security has become more fragile. And climate change is affecting more human lives. So, is the notion of human development still relevant for development discourse and as a measure of human well-being? Yes—even more so in today’s world. Even with all the economic and technological advancements at the world’s disposal, people do not have equitable benefits from progress, human capabilities and opportunities do not always flourish, human security is at stake, human rights and freedoms are not always protected, gender inequalities remain a challenge, 24 | HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2015
participation, empowerment and social cohesion. Conversely, human development contributes to the four pillars. Expanding capabilities through human development enhances opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship. The participation aspect of human development helps enrich social dialogue. Human development also emphasizes the promotion of human rights, which boosts workers’ rights and enhances human security. Given all these interlinks, implementing the Decent Work Agenda will help work enhance human development.
and future generations’ choices do not get the attention they deserve. So the notion of human development—enlarging choices, emphasizing a long, healthy and creative life and highlighting the need for expanding capabilities and creating opportunities—assumes a new importance as a development framework, with people at the centre of development. Similarly, as a measure of human well-being, the human development framework still provides perhaps the broadest perspective of human progress, while contributing to policymaking. Yet after a quarter of a century, the time has come to revisit both aspects—the notion and the measures.
The notion and measures of human development should be reviewed to make them more relevant for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s world The conceptual angle of human development requires a fresh look for dealing with emerging challenges in a fast-changing world, especially in dialogue with the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. The basic focus should be kept intact. But issues such as individual and collective choices, their probable trade-offs in conflicting situations, hierarchies among such choices and the balance between choices of present and