UN Report: Division Preventing Nations from Improving Lives

UN Report: Division Preventing Nations from Improving Lives

A report published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) finds that progress in human development has halted or gone backward. The UN study was released Thursday. It cites the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, economic uncertainty¹, and other crises as the main reasons for the lack of progress.

The report includes the UNDP's Human Development Index. The index ranks 191 countries in the world based on health, education level, and standard of living. It found that 90 percent of the nations failed to reach a better, healthier, or more secure life for their people in 2020 and 2021. For the first time in 32 years, the index found that human development decreased for two straight years.

This year's rankings show some countries are beginning to improve. Others face worsening crises. The report finds Latin America, the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia have been especially hard hit.

Achim Steiner is the head of UNDP. "Nine out of 10 countries in this year's human development report index are shown to have faced a decline," he said. "This has never happened before even during the last devastating² global moment of crisis, the financial crisis, only one out of 10 countries faced a decline in human development indices."

Switzerland is at the top this year's rankings. That is followed by Norway, Iceland, Hong Kong, Australia, and other wealthy nations. Countries from sub-Saharan Africa are among the lowest ranked in human development, with South Sudan at the bottom.

Pedro Conceicao is the report's lead author. He said that economic recession is the main driver behind the decline in human development. There has also been a large drop in life expectancy³.

The United States is ranked 21st in the index. The U.S. has reported a large drop in life expectancy partly because of COVID-19. Since the pandemic, life expectancy in the U.S. went from 79 years to 76.1 years.

Conceicao also said the report shows global levels of trust are the lowest on record. He said those who are most mistrustful hold the most extreme political opinions.

"Uncertainty and the feeling of insecurity hardens people's commitments to a group that shares a similar set of beliefs and increases hostility⁴ to other groups that think differently," Conceicao said. He added that the "report documents that democratic practices are under stress."

The report warns that the problems of insecurity and political division often make each other worse. The report said division is preventing nations from taking the collective action needed to deal with the many threats and crises around the world.

Words in This Story

standard –n. a level of quality or performance that is considered acceptable or required

devastating — adj. causing great damage or harm

stress — n. a state of mental tension, worry or pressure

1 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

2 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

3 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

4 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。