The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, unveiled the 2023/2024 Human Development Report (HDR) in Nigeria.
The report, compiled by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), sheds light on Nigeria’s performance across various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators.
Titled “Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation In A Polarised World,” the HDR reveals a disconcerting trend, indicating that Nigeria has fallen short in achieving targets across the SDGs spectrum.
Moreover, it highlights a partial, incomplete, and unequal global rebound in the Human Development Index (HDI), which encompasses Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, education, and life expectancy.
During the launch event, Minister Edun emphasised the urgency for improvement, stating, “The HDR serves as a call to action, signalling the imperative for enhanced global cooperation and outlining pathways for a more equitable future.” He urged ambitious reforms in the international financial architecture to better support SDG implementation and uphold human rights.
Over the past 34 years, the UNDP has annually published the HDR, assessing countries’ health, education, and living standards. Through more than 800 reports and numerous outreach initiatives, including workshops and conferences, the UNDP aims to foster human development worldwide.
Mohamed Fall, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, underscored the HDR’s findings, attributing contemporary challenges to polarisation and mismanagement of cross-border interdependencies.
He emphasised that such polarisation impedes international cooperation and exacerbates issues like debt distress and food insecurity.
Elsie G. Attafuah, Resident Representative for UNDP Nigeria, highlighted the HDR’s significance as a flagship knowledge product. She stressed the need for political leaders and development practitioners to raise ambitions and address pressing challenges. Attafuah warned of dire consequences if current trends persist, urging a shift in course to avoid further setbacks in human progress.
