Globalisation Marginalises The Poor, Says ReportGlobalisation Marginalises The Poor, Says Report
July 12, 1999 


>Jerome Hule PANA Correspondent

NEW YORK, UN (PANA) - The UNDP's 1999 Human Development Report has criticised globalisation - the phenomenon of growing trade, investment and human linkages in the world - for fostering the marginalisation of poor nations and people. 

The report, released Monday by the UNDP, points out that globalisation has resulted in the polarisation of people and countries with the fifth of the world population living in the highest income countries having 86 percent of the world's gross domestic product, 82 percent of world export markets and 68 percent of foreign direct investment. 

On the other hand, the bottom fifth living in the poorest countries have only one percent in each category. 

Since 1990, the UNDP commissioned the Human Development by an independent team of experts to explore major issues of global concern. The current team is headed by Sakiko Fukuda-Parr. 

Inspite of this situation, the report argues that with political commitment, it is still possible to make globalisation to bear positive consequencies. 

''With stronger governance, local, national, regional and global, the benefits of competitive markets can be preserved with clear rules and boundaries and stronger action can be put in place to meet the needs of human development,'' the report stresses. 

It further urges national and international policy-makers to focus on a new vision anchored on balancing concern for profit with concern for people, framing of comprehensive approaches to the threats to human security such as HIV/AIDS, international crime, human rights abuses and transborder pollution. 

The report also stresses that the new vision should support the development of technologies for the poor and build more representative system of global governance to buffer the effects of a boom and bust economy. 

In order to achieve such a vision, the report has proposed a number of initiatives, including the formation of a global forum to include multinational corporations, trade unions and non-governmental organisations in a dialogue that broadens governance and gives rich and poor people a louder voice in global decision-making. 

It also calls for the inclusion in the mandate of the World Trade Organisation, anti-trust provisions and a code of conduct for multinational corporations, establishment of high level units in developing countries to deal with globalisation policy and formulation of regional labour and environmental standards and agreements. 

Other initiatives advocated by the report are the creation of an international public programme to fund the development of biotechnology, information and communications technologies to meet the technological needs of the poor as well as increased cooperation in the fight against global crime. 

Meanwhile, Africa has ranked at the bottom of the report's human development index - a measurement of the wellbeing of countries in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and real income of their citizens. 

The report has, for the sixth time, placed Canada at the top of the index and Sierra Leone at the bottom. 

All the 10 countries with the lowest development index are African. From the bottom, after Sierra Leone are Niger, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Eritrea, Mali and Central African Republic. 

Nigeria, the most populous African country, occupies the 146th position in the ranking of 174 countries rated in the report With the exception of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Bangladesh and Haiti, all the other 28 countries with low human development are from Africa. 

Following Canada, the country with the highest human development performance, are Norway, the US, Japan, Belgium, Sweden, Australia, the Netherlands, Iceland and Britain, in that order. 

No African country is listed in the group of countries with high human development. Libya, the best human development performer in Africa, occupies the 65th position in the ranking, followed by Seychelles as 66th. 

Both countries are in the medium human development category where other 20 African countries are listed. 

Among these are South Africa, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Algeria, Swaziland, Namibia, Egypt, Botswana, Gabon, Morroco and Lesotho. 

Also listed in this category are Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Cameroon, Congo, Kenya and the Comoros Island. 

Of all the countries rated in the report, 45 are listed with high human development, 94 with medium and 35 with low human development. 

The report explains that between 1975 and 1997, most developing countries recorded improvement in the well-being of their people. 

During this period, life expectancy in developing countries increased from 53 to 62 years, adult literacy rate rose from 48 percent to 76 percent while mortality for the under-five fell from 149 per 1,000 live births to 85, the report states. 

''Some countries have overcome severe levels of poverty, deprivations in literacy, life expectancy and income. These countries include Bahrain, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Fiji, Jordan, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay,'' the report cited. 

It , however, points out that poverty continues to blight lives in both developing and development countries. 

''More alarmingly, in the 1990s reverses have been recorded in 16 countries, largely because of the impact of HIV/AIDS in southern and east Africa and economic stagnation in sub-Saharan Africa, eastern Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union.'' 

The report points out that the disparity in living conditions is both between and within countries. Wihtin countries, it explains that women and the rural dwellers fare worse than men and those who live in rural areas. 





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 1999 Panafrican News Agency. All Rights Reserved.