Arab countries’ human development indicator for the year 2000 showed an improvement to 0,635, against 0,55 in 1955, according to a report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), cited in the Arabic press.
According to the report, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar topped the list, while Sudan, Mauritania, Yemen and Djibouti achieved the least in human development for the year in question.
However, the report said that despite the improvement, the Arab countries are still lagging behind other developing countries whose average achievement in the field scored 0,642, while the world average is 0,712.
The human development is gauged by the average achievement in health care, education and per capita income.
Recently, the UNDP's Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) established an Advisory Board to provide guidance on improving the impact and effectiveness of UNDP activities in the Arab region. Members attended the Advisory Board's first meeting on 22-23 January in New York, according to the UNDP website.
The Advisory Board endorsed the idea of publishing an Arab Region Human Development Report in 2001. It also supported RBAS initiatives in the areas of global economic competitiveness, governance and human rights, and suggested a program focus on learning and knowledge acquisition – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
