Việt Nam remains a high human development country, according to UNDP. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has remained a high human development country through the difficult years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and human development continues to be a focus of the country’s development strategy.

That was the message from UNDP Resident Representative Ramla Khalidi, as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) announced its new report.

The 2023/24 Human Development Report (HDR), titled “Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining cooperation in a polarized world”, shows that Việt Nam's Human Development Index (HDI) value for 2022 is 0.726, positioning it at 107 out of the 193 countries and territories.

Between 1990 and 2022, the nation's HDI value changed from 0.492 to 0.726, an improvement of nearly 50 per cent. In the 1990s when UNDP introduced the HDI, Việt Nam was at the relatively lower end of the ranking, but now it is in the middle of the ranking, having made consistent progress over the past 30 years.

Việt Nam ranks 91 out of the 166 countries in the Gender Inequality Index, which considers inequality across three dimensions of reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market.

Ramla Khalidi said: “Việt Nam has done well in some respects, for example access to education and labour force participation, however a persistent gender division of labour reserves more stable, highly paid jobs for men, and women still account for a small share of leadership roles in Government, the National Assembly and in the private sector.”

According to the report, uneven development progress is leaving the poorest behind, exacerbating inequality, and stoking political polarisation on a global scale. The result is a dangerous gridlock that must be urgently tackled through collective action.

Achim Steiner, administrator of the UNDP, congratulated Việt Nam on the many important achievements in human development it has obtained over the recent past.

Speaking at the launch ceremony for the reportat the UN headquarters in New York on March 13 (local time), he said that the world has gradually recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Human Development Index (HDI) has bounced back and stood at the highest-ever level since the HDR was first released in 1990.

However, he also voiced concern about growing uncertainties and conflicts in several regions, especially the worsening inequality and widening HDI gap between developed and developing countries.

The UNDP expected the new report will serve as a basis for policymakers worldwide to work out appropriate directions and solutions to cope with challenges and continue promoting human development.

In a separate meeting with Ambassador Đặng Hoàng Giang – Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN – prior to the launch, Steiner congratulated Việt Nam on continuing to obtain many important achievements in human development, which has contributed to the international community’s common efforts in settling global challenges and implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The ranking improvement is a result of the Party and State’s effective policies and strong efforts to foster economic recovery, guarantee post-pandemic social security, and create the best possible conditions for the development of Vietnamese people.

The UNDP’s Human Development Report, released every two years, is compiled basing on contributions by many experts from UN agencies, member states, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations. It analyses human development trends and multi-dimensional impacts of the world situation. The HDI is considered one of important criteria for assessing countries’ development and widely used by researchers and policymakers. — VNS