Nepal makes some progress in human development

Despite the on-going violent conflict affecting almost all walks of social life, Nepal has made some progress in terms of human development index (HDI), a latest UN report said.

According to the Human Development Report 2005 launched on Tuesday, Nepal has been ranked 136th out of 177 countries measured in terms of their human development. Last year, Nepal was ranked at 140th position.

In South Asia, Sri Lanka has the highest HDI value with 93rd rank while Nepal’s ranking is slightly below Pakistan. “With an index of 0.526, Nepal stands sixth among South Asian countries, but is far behind its two neighbours (India and China,” says the report.

While Nepal has made some progress in terms of life expectancy, it has fallen five places behind than its position last year in terms of human poverty, the report says.

According to the report, nearly 30,000 children die each year during the first month of life in Nepal. Also, the country has the fourth lowest percentage of births attended by skilled health personnel with 80 percent of deliveries taking place at home.

Presenting an overview of the report, Dr. Shree Ram Pandey, assistant resident representative of UNDP in Kathmandu, said that the rural-urban divide has widened in Nepal despite improvement in poverty situation. He said some 4.6 million Nepalis still lack access to safe drinking water.

Vice chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC), Dr. Shankar Sharma, said Nepal’s HDI had improved as the government was spending money on priority basis in health, education and infrastructure development.

Releasing the report, Finance Minister Madhukar Shumsher JB Rana said only by having a strong state with a clear cut national security policy can national security policy can collective security be enhanced for the benefit of all. Soft or weak states pose a challenge to regional and global security, he added.

The report entitled ‘International Cooperation at a crossroads—Aid, Trade and Security in an Unequal World,’ the report calls for urgent actions towards removing obstacles in aid, trade and human security, if the countries across the globe and developing countries in particular are to address extreme poverty and achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). nepalnews.com by Sep 14 05