VENICE/NEW YORK, 24 OCTOBER – For the first time since 1990, the Human Development Index (HDI) has declined, falling in nine out of ten countries. These are the disturbing conclusions of the UNDP Human Development Report (HDR), “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World“, presented today in Venice (and for the first time in Italy) by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International cooperation, the UN Development Programme, in partnership with Assicurazioni Generali and the Human Safety Net foundation.
Marking UN Day (24 October), Ambassador Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, spoke in video-conference from New York: “This is a wake-up call, telling us that people around the world feel more insecure, more vulnerable and more exposed to challenges. Rising inequalities, food insecurity, disinformation and lack of respect for the rule of law are affecting the livelihood and well-being of entire populations, especially the most fragile”, said the Ambassador, observing that in the face of a more unstable and multipolar world, where pandemics, climate change, technological gaps and violence fuel global crises, “it is also true that we have the ability to react. We have been able to slow the spread of the pandemic, thanks to the development of new vaccines”.
The key to a rapid change, according to the UNDP report, is based on “Three I“: investment in resources and capacity; insurance, including its social component, to protect people from the inevitable contingencies of uncertain times and safeguard people’s abilities; innovation to generate useful skills to meet the challenges of the future.
The “uncertainty complex”, resulting from the crises and social changes, should alarm, but not stop us, said Massari: “In times of uncertainty, we are called to come together and form innovative partnerships between international organizations, governments and civil society, to relaunch sustainable and inclusive human development” and, above all, “face the collapse of trust and cooperation, between and within nations. We must restore confidence in multilateralism and support the United Nations System in its relentless action to achieve the SDGs”.
The Ambassador praised the partnership between UNDP and Generali as an example of the willingness of the Italian private sector to align its action with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda: “Here in New York, Italy continues to do its part to increase global ambition for a fair and sustainable future for all. “
This year, Italy co-sponsored the Ministerial Declaration of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) which reaffirms the commitment of Member States to accelerate the decade of action of the 2030 Agenda. Italy has also increased its core contribution to UNDP to strengthen an already strong partnership. “As Vice-Chairman of the UN Economic and Social Council, I will spare no effort to carry forward the Italian vision of the rule of law, prosperity and sustainability,” Massari concluded.
The presentation was also attended by the Plenipotentiary of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director for Strategy and Programming for Development Cooperation, Mauro Massoni, Ulrika Modéer, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP, Andrea Sironi, President of Assicurazioni Generali and Pedro Conceição, Director of the Office of Human Development Report. (@OnuItalia)