Suchergebnisse

The 2010 Asia and the Pacific Regional Human Development Report focuses on the critical question of advancing gender equality, as seen through the prism of women's unequal power, voice, and rights. Despite the region's many economic gains, the report chronicles how in many instances women across the region continue to be held back and disadvantaged. It makes clear that achieving gender equality promotes human development—not only for women, but for whole societies, and is central to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. While recognizing that each country is unique and needs to develop its own responses, the report calls upon policy makers to correct gender imbalances through a broad "agenda for action" across three areas: supporting the economic empowerment of women, promoting women's political voice, and advancing women's legal rights. Central to undertaking such efforts, the report argues for unwavering political leadership across the board, and highlights also the need for men and boys to help foster attitudes and take actions to empower women.

Accommodating people's growing demands for their inclusion in society, for respect of their ethnicity, religion, and language, takes more than democracy and equitable growth. Also needed are multicultural policies that recognize differences, champion diversity and promote cultural freedoms, so that all people can choose to speak their language, practice their religion, and participate in shaping their culture - so that people can choose to be who they are.

Politics matter for human development. Reducing poverty depends as much on whether poor people have political power as on their opportunities for economic progress. Democracy has proven to be the system of governance most capable of mediating and preventing conflict and of securing and sustaining well-being. By expanding people's choices about how and by whom they are governed, democracy brings principles of participation and accountability to the process of human development.

Politics matter for human development. Reducing poverty depends as much on whether poor people have political power as on their opportunities for economic progress. Democracy has proven to be the system of governance most capable of mediating and preventing conflict and of securing and sustaining well-being. By expanding people's choices about how and by whom they are governed, democracy brings principles of participation and accountability to the process of human development.

The report focuses on the interrelationships between human development, democracy and economic progress in Indonesia, in the wake of the East Asian financial crisis. The Report asks: How can Indonesia achieve steady progress in all indicators of human development as it restructures its economy, refashions its governance institutions, and devolves decision-making to regions and localities? The answer, the Report argues, lies in building a new social consensus for Indonesia that renews a shared commitment to human development.

Lack of political commitment rather than financial resources is often the real barrier to human development. This is the main conclusion of Human Development Report 1991 - the second in a series of annual reports on the subject.