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UN report "warns that short-sighted austerity measures, failures to address persistent inequalities, and a lack of opportunities for meaningful civic participation could threaten this progress unless leaders take bold corrective action."
Ottawa (18 March 2013) – Canada has dropped out of the top ten on the United Nations (UN) human development index.
The UN report entitled The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World now ranks Canada as 11th, a disappointing drop from its formerly held first place in the 1990s.
Canada did improve over last years ranking but not nearly as much as some other countries. Although with this years addition of two new indexes to the report - the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) and the gender inequality index (GII) - Canada falls further to 18th position.
According to the report, by 2020, the combined output of the three leading South economies—China, India, Brazil—will surpass the aggregate production of the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada.
"When dozens of countries and billions of people move up the development ladder, as they are doing today, it has a direct impact on wealth creation and broader human progress in all countries and regions of the world."
Despite the improvements, the authors of the report are clear that inequality has not been eliminated. Much more needs to be done.
"It is hopeful to see this research from the United Nations," says James Clancy, National President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). "Seeing the improvements in some of the poorest regions of the world is a signal that someone is thinking differently when it comes to addressing economic inequality."
The report goes further saying "that ambitious, well-conceived policies can sustain this human development progress in coming decades and expand its reach to still more developing countries. But it also warns that short-sighted austerity measures, failures to address persistent inequalities, and a lack of opportunities for meaningful civic participation could threaten this progress unless leaders take bold corrective action."
“More important than getting prices right, a developmental state must get policy priorities right,” the report says. “They should be people-centred, promoting opportunities while protecting against downside risks."
"In Canada, our drop in standing further proves the point we have been making in our All Together Now! campaign," says Clancy. "The Conservative government shift away from providing quality public services for citizens, reducing worker rights and ignoring the need for a modern industrial strategy is having a negative impact on Canadians everywhere."
"Harper needs to take some of the positive lessons from what the South is doing and learn from that experience," Clancy concluded. "Because what they're doing here isn't working."
More information:
The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE