FSM Government Briefed on UNDP’s Human Development Report

[Pohnpei, Wednesday November 24, 2010] – Government officials of the Federated States of Micronesia were today briefed on the 20th Anniversary edition of the Human Development Report (HDR) as a follow up to the global launch that took place early this month. The briefing was held because this is the first time FSM has been ranked.

FSM Government representative, Ms. Jane Chigiyal, Deputy Secretary of Department of Foreign Affairs, who attended the briefing, said the Report is about the value of human development.

“It is about enlarging people’s choices, so that people have a right to be healthy, they have a right to be educated and to enjoy a decent standard of living,” he said.

UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator, Knut Ostby said the HDR suggests thinking clearly about the future and looking critically at the past.

“I am delighted by the recent Proclamation released by the President Manny Mori that FSM officially recognizes the World Statistics Day on October 20th every year and also abides by the need to collect timely and reliable official data,” he said.

The Federated States of Micronesia’s Human Development Index (HDI) value for this year stands at 0.614 in the medium human development category. This places FSM at 103 out of a total of 169 countries and areas that have been assessed. Mr Ostby said recognized the fact that Micronesia has entered the HDI table for the first time this year as an important step forward.

The HDI statistic is composed from data on Gross Domestic Product per capita, education (such as years of schooling and literacy rate) and health (life expectancy at birth). They are usually collected at the national level, but there are also HDI for states, cities and villages.

On a global level, Mr Ostby said the summary measure of achievements in education, health and income has risen by some 41 percent. “The rise can be attributed to all three components of the HDI : overall people today are healthier, more educated and wealthier than before.

“For the Pacific region though there is still a lot more work that needs to be done to ensure that people are getting access to proper education, to proper health facilities and equipment and decent income,” he said

A major contribution of this year’s report is a systematic review of the human development record in 135 countries over the four decades since 1970.

In addition to the 2010 HDI, the Report includes three new indices: the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, the Gender Inequality Index and the Multidimensional Poverty Index. Tables on various measures of human development are also available, including demographic trends, the economy, education, health and more.

For a full listing of the Human Development Index and other information contained in the 2010 Human Development Report, please visit: http://hdr.undp.org

ENDS

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