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Liaison Newsletter > LIAISON Vol. 1, No. 4, July 1997 - Articles

« Return to Liaison Vol. 1, No. 4 Index

Human Development Report 1997
 When eradicating poverty becomes a practical possibility

"Unless we address the problems of poverty now," said Mr. Normand Lauzon at the June 12th launch of the 1997 Human Development Report, "none of the great goals that the international community has set itself—peace and stability, universal human rights, preservation of the environment and closing the gender gap—will be achievable." Mr. Lauzon was speaking on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), where he works as Assistant Administrator and Director for the Bureau for Resources and External Affairs,

The eighth in an annual series commissioned by UNDP, this year’s Human Development Report argues that the eradication of extreme poverty in the first one or two decades of the 21st century is a feasible, affordable goal. The optimism reflects the advances that have been made in the past fifty years in terms of reducing infant mortality by nearly three-fifths; cutting adult illiteracy in half; and increasing life expectancy to the age of forty for three-quarters of the world’s population.

The economic and human development achievements outlined in the Report are tempered by the fact that 1.3 billion people in the developing world still live on less than US$1 per day; that 800 million people world-wide are malnourished; and that the disparities between rich and poor are still as prevalent as ever, and growing.

The Report also argues that, if the eradication of extreme poverty is to be a realistic goal, governments need to implement policies that seek to reduce poverty in their own countries. The Report offers a six point plan of action that sets out the priorities for doing just this, calling on developing countries to:

  • initiate people-centered policies that furnish individuals, households and communities with economic, social, political, environmental and personal assets;
  • promote greater gender equality;
  • adopt economic policies that ensure 3% income growth per capita, per year;
  • negotiate better terms and fairer trade policies with industrialized countries that will provide better access to markets;
  • create a political environment that gives a stronger voice to the poor; and,
  • take special actions to prevent economic reversal.

UNDP has estimated a cost of $80 billion dollars per year for implementing such a programme—less than the combined net worth of the world’s seven richest men! Mr. Lauzon made it clear that no such programme could be kick-started without significant development assistance from the North. He went on to say that Canada has a special role to play in this regard, especially since, for the fourth year in a row, it stood at the top of the Report’s Human Development Index. The index ranks countries according to income, education and life expectancy.

Panelist Ms. Carolynn McAskie, of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), affirmed Canada’s responsibility to work with countries less fortunate than itself, and indicated that poverty reduction was indeed at the heart of CIDA’s assistance mandate.

While Mr. Jean-Pierre Voyer, speaking on behalf of Human Resources Development Canada, recognized that Canada has reduced poverty more than other industrialized countries, he admitted that progress has been slower when it comes to children, First Nations’ families, recent immigrants and single mothers. Mr. Voyer added that underinvesting in these groups, especially children, will seriously impede a country’s social and economic performance.

Ms. Lynne Toupin, Executive Director of the National Anti-Poverty Organization, is fully aware of this, and believes that "Canada shouldn’t be left off the hook when it comes to eradicating poverty". The Federal Government, Ms. Toupin said, should work with the Provincial Governments to develop a national strategy to eradicate poverty, setting a time frame for achieving clear targets and affordable goals.

The launch, which UNA-Canada organized in collaboration with the International Development Research Centre, was attended by close to 200 people.