The UNDP Human Development Report (HDR): Gambia Down Seven Places in Five Years

Human Development Report 2015, source: UNDP

Described as the most celebrated UNDP Flagship report, the Human Development Report (HDR) continues to champion the concept of human development as done so for the past 25 years. The Report which is also about enlarging human choices is published annually under a different theme with this year’s titled “Work for Development” focusing on the broader and deeper notion of work and people’s full participation in society.

It is believed that the 2015 Human Development Report comes at a time of major changes in the world of work, affecting when, how, and where people work. According to the new HDR 2015 report, there is dramatic increase of older people in developed countries, while developing countries are grappling with significantly bulging youthful population. It continue to outline that by 2050, the number of people older than sixty will, for the first time in history, be equal to those younger than fifteen. This has prompted countries and organisations worldwide to rethink the role of older people in the workforce, and explore raising the retirement age, the report affirmed.  

However, the report acknowledged that progress has been made globally and nationally in advancing human development but also stressed that, significant human deprivations still persists and huge human potentials still remain untapped. The Gambia’s HDI value for 2015 is 0.441 which put the country in the low human development category positioning it at 175 out of 188 countries and territories. Over the last 25 years, The Gambia’s HDI value has increased from 0.330 to 0.441, an increase of 33.5% or an average annual increase of about 1.21%.

For the past five years though, Gambia has just stepped up once in the annual HDI rankings. In 2011, The country was ranked 168 out of 187 countries and territories, jumping up 3 places to rank 165 out of 187 in 2012. However, the year 2013 saw us lose ground dropping to 172 out of 187 with a further declined in 2014 ranking 175 out of 188 - a position we also maintain in 2015. And sadly, according to the latest HDI Report, unemployment rate in the country remains as high as 29.8% with adult literacy rate as low at 52% posing significant challenge for The Gambia’s economy to transform to a high value production path.

Fortunately though, it's not all doom and gloom. Despite all the challenges and shortfalls, the report proposes some new and innovative policy options which recommends focus on national employment strategies as a centrepiece of national development plans. It highlights the importance of bringing Employment back to the centre of the development discourse. Three particularly important proposals were highlighted by the report that could also be relevant for the Gambia which are as follows:

• Establishing a new social contract between state, society, and the private sector to improve social protection and ensure that people, especially those working in the informal sector, are not left behind;
• Deepening cooperation between workers, businesses and governments around the world to craft a Global Deal to guarantee workers’ rights. The International Labour Organization’s recent convention for paid domestic workers points in this direction; and
• Promoting fair income, security in the workplace, and social protection for workers and their families through the Decent Work Agenda of the ILO.

The report also reiterates that countries especially in Africa should create sustainable work for their citizens. Adding that when employment is in the national plan, as in the case of the Gambia, adequate resources need to be provided to ensure employment creation. The only discouraging thing is that, such proposals and recommendations are usually scripted out nicely but their adaptation and applications always remained to be question. Here is hoping that something might change this time around.