Deadline extended to 05 July 2023!
Welcome to the South-South Global Thinkers e-discussion for the 2023 UNDP Human Development Report (HDR), jointly organized by UNDP Human Development Report Office (HDRO) and UNOSSC. The e-discussion is open from 15 May to 10 July 2023. The discussion will be moderated by UNDP HDRO and facilitated by UNOSSC. To switch languages, please use the translation function, available at the top right of the page.
Background:
The latest series of Human Development Reports (HDR) shine a light on policy blind spots and shows how the world is now faced with the challenge of redefining development, amidst great uncertainty. Conventional development narratives, assuming known benchmarks and linear pathways of progress, no longer appear to hold. Average progress in traditional development indicators has not necessarily translated into increased individual life satisfaction. New gaps are opening in areas important for human development in the 21st century – such as higher education and digitalization – and humans’ planetary pressures in the context of the Anthropocene are threatening both human development and human security progress. And for the first time since its inception in 1990, the global Human Development Index has now declined – two years in a row.
At this critical moment, when the world needs to redouble efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda whilst also starting steering towards a post-Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) world, The Human Development Report Office (HDRO) is advancing a future-forward research agenda to identify new approaches and interpretations.
The next series of HDRs is imagined as a trilogy of reports, exploring how we might drive transformations toward a more just and livable planet. A new series of human development research requires key expert partners. HDRs are global platforms that bring together multiple and diverse networks of policymakers, thought leaders, academics, CSOs, NGOs, and other stakeholders in deliberation, knowledge-sharing, and innovation. They are developed through broad consultative processes, with regional and thematic experts, to seek input and to amplify outreach around the topics of the report. In this context, HDRO seeks to outline a strategy for closer collaboration with the Office of South-South Cooperation to strengthen engagement with multiple stakeholders from the Global South and to ensure that the human development research is informed by their perspectives.
2023 Human Development Report - South-South Global Thinkers Network Consultation
The 2021/22 HDR revealed a startling reality: for the first time ever, the global HDI declined two years in a row, driven by a new “uncertainty complex,” – from the inequalities and dangerous planetary changes of the Anthropocene, from the sweeping transformations towards a low-carbon future, and from the intensification of political polarization making it harder to come together to tackle shared problems at a time when we need to the most.
Together, they drive distress and unsettle lives, calling for radically new approaches to development. Indeed, as the report shows, we face a growing mismatch between our collective responses and the current context of both enormous promise and pressing, globally interlinked threats to human development and human security: we know what the problems are, we have more tools than ever to address them, yet we are failing to act with commensurate urgency. This is particularly important in the context of the Global South, where countries are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of global challenges such as climate change, economic inequality, and political instability.
Collective action on challenges ranging from climate change mitigation to peace and security is frustratingly slow or stymied altogether. Lack of trust and polarization, both associated with insecurity, exacerbate the gridlock. The 2023 Human Development Report is on what can be done to break through gridlock, which will be the defining challenge of the Anthropocene and where global collective action is indispensable. South-South and triangular cooperation will be of the essence in unlocking pathways for human development in uncertain and worried times by allowing for Global South voices, leadership, and contributions to be at the forefront of global collective action solutions.
Consultation objective:
Human Development Report consultations intend to start a conversation on the themes of the upcoming report, with the purpose of seeking input and advice on report content from thematic and regional experts. Consultations inform the process of developing the report and ensure that it speaks to key human development issues for people and policymakers. The partnership between the Human Development Report Office (HDRO), UNOSSC, and South-South Global Thinkers Network, a global coalition of Think-tank Networks on South-South Cooperation, aims to draw key insights and perspectives from the Global South that will inform the preparation of the upcoming HDR 2023. Events are by invitation only, to spur an open and productive dialogue.
The consultation process will include an e-discussion hosted on South-South Global Thinkers platform from 15 May – 14 June 2023 (now extended to 10 July). This will be followed by a Virtual consultation to be organized in early July 2023.
Guiding questions for the consultation include:
A paradox of our time: Despite mounting evidence of the distress that human planetary pressures are causing our ecological and social systems, why are we failing to act? What are the main constraints for South-South and triangular cooperation?
Governance Mismatches: From the Global South perspective, what are the gaps in current institutional designs affecting our ability to achieve adequate responses to interlinked global crises and challenges? What are the key elements for institutional innovation in the Global South?
Investing in one another: how do we address political polarization and conflict, and how can we foster cooperation, including South-South cooperation, in times of uncertainty and transformations?
We look forward to your contributions and active engagement!