Subject:
We're doing something
right.
Date: Tue,
15 Sep 1998 20:20:51 -0700
20:06 Oasis
Hotel Cafe, Tulufan; Xinjiang--China TU 15 SEP 98
China Daily; Thursday, September 10, 1998 (Page 1)
REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED
By Chen Yanni
The gap between rich and poor countries continues widening regardless
of the burgeoning consumption of goods and services globally. This undermines
the possibility of sustainable human development internationally, suggest
the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Human Development Report
'98. Global consumption of goods and services will reach US$24 trillion
this year, six times higher than in 1975, notes the report.
The UN released the document yesterday in The Hague and in
more than 100 nation's capitals, including Beijing. The UNDP has commissioned
the report -- an exploration of major global issues by experts -- every
year since 1990.
One billion people still go without the basic necessities
-- food, water and proper housing -- while 86 percent of the world's
output is used by 20 per cent of the population, the report adds. This
group uses 58 percent of the world's energy, 45 percent of the meat
and fish, drive 87 percent of the motor vehicles and use 74 percent
of the telephones, reveals the report. Three-fifths of the world's 4.4
billion people in developing countries live in communities without basic
sanitation; one-third do not have safe drinking water; one-fourth lack
adequate housing; one-fifth are without modern health care; one-fifth
of the children do not advance beyond the fifth grade; and one-fifth
of the children are malnourished, the report notes.
This year, the report focuses on consumption of goods and
services and examines how this advances or hinders human progress.
Canadians ranked first for overall health, general level of
education, and the average standard of living. France and Norway placed
second and third respectively. This is the fifth consecutive year Canada
topped the report's list, a distinction the UNDP says is "unmatched
by any other nation."
China ranked 106 out of the 174 nations, up from 108 out of
175 last year. The UNDP implemented its China Human Development Report
1997 two months ago, the agency's first report on China. UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights Mary Robinson, on a 10-day visit to China, praised
the nation, during her speech at the ceremony, for its efforts in eradicating
poverty. "A half century after te Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
China can be commended for efforts to eliminate poverty, and to meet
the basic needs of all," Robinson said. "I look forward to strengthening
my contacts with the government and people of China, and to working
together."
Liu He, chief executive president of the State Information
Centre, welcomed the report's publication. "It is unique in that it
has grasped the most basic problems affecting human development." Its
strategic outlook and practical policies force us to focus on sustainable
development, Liu suggested.
I'd be curious to know what else this report had to say about China's
human rights and development record...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When a country is in harmony with the Tao,
the factories make trucks and tractors.
When a country goes counter to the Tao,
warheads are stockpiled outside the cities.
There is no greater illusion than fear,
no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself,
no greater misfortune than having an enemy.
Whoever can see through all fear
will always be safe.
