– Foreign Affairs Minister credits move to social focusGuyana’s ranking in the Human Development Index (HDI),Josh Hart Villanova Jersey, contained in the Human Development Report 2013, has moved one place up, suggesting that the country has been doing something right over the past year. Nestled in the Medium Human Development section of the Index,NFL Jerseys Sale, Guyana is currently ranked 118 out of 187 countries, with a HDI average of 0.636.Speaking at the launching of the report yesterday at the Georgetown Club on Camp Street, Foreign Affairs, Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, underscored that “human development cannotUNDP’s Khadija Musa (L) hands over a copy of the Human Development Report 2013 to Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.be measured in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita only…economic growth must be accompanied by investment in infrastructure, health, education and in the other social sectors.”Entitled “The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World,” the report seeks to highlight that the south is under-represented; a development that the Minister insists must be changed. As such, she noted there is yet much work to be done, even as she underscored that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach, in terms of development.However, she highlighted that important to development is the role of the State and a dedication to improving human development, while at the same time promoting trade and innovation.“Some years ago,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, the home-grown policies which focus on the social sector were deemed to be bad for economic development. Indeed I am advised there was one report in which Guyana was marked down because of how much we spend on the social sector…we were deemed bad for business.”But according to Minister Rodrigues-Birkett, the newest report has emphasised that “growth without human development is unsustainable and is in fact dangerous.”Speaking to the focus of the report, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, Ms Khadija Musa, indicated that the south faces long term challenges which are shared by industrial countries of the north.These,Nick Castellanos Tigers Jersey, according to her, include but are not limited to an aging population,Boston Red Sox Jerseys, environmental pressure, social inequality, mismatches between education preparation and job opportunities and the need for meaningful civic engagements among others.“To address these challenges, there is need for both national and global solutions if developing countries are to maintain their human development momentum,Wholesale NFL Jerseys,” Musa noted.She also highlighted that the report warns that environmental inaction, especially regarding climate change, and the potential to halt or even reverse human development progress in the world’s poorest countries and communities.The report also outlines that the number of people in extreme poverty could increase by up to three billion by 2050, unless environmental disasters are averted by coordinated global action.“The report warns that non-responsive political structures can prompt civil unrest, especially if economic opportunities do not keep pace with education advancement,” Musa asserted.