News of Norway, issue 3, 2001
Norway ranks first in the UNDP report’s Human Development Index. A country’s position in the index is based on how high it ranks in terms of health, education, gender equality, life expectancy and GDP per capita.
Minister of International Development Anne Kristin Sydnes is pleased that Norway is ranked at the top of the UN Index: "Our ranking is a result of the fact that Norway has pursued a deliberate redistribution policy for a number of years. But being in first place also entails an obligation. As one of the world’s richest countries, we have a moral responsibility to contribute to a more equitable distribution of goods worldwide. More than 1 billion people are still living on less than a dollar a day, 1 billion have no access to clean drinking water, and 34 million have HIV/AIDS. This is the reality we are facing."
Working to combat poverty
"We must intensify our efforts to combat poverty and seek even more actively to promote international solidarity. The last thing we should do in such a situation is to cut the development cooperation budget in order to finance tax breaks for Norwegians," said Minister Sydnes.
Two weeks ago Sydnes visited Mozambique, which is ranked as number 157 of the 162 countries on the Human Development Index. The stark contrasts between Norway and Mozambique is a clear reminder that, as one of the world’s richest countries, Norway has a special responsibility to help diminish alleviate economic and social disparities in the world.
Stoltenberg speaks of Norwegian commitments
"We need to remind ourselves of the challenges we are facing, but also of the commitments we have made to meeting them. Our policy on development has two key objectives: to work together with others to manage globalization so that poverty is systematically reduced and the UN’s Millennium Development Goals are achieved; and to promote economic growth that is equitable and environmentally sustainable," said Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. "The elimination of poverty is not only a moral responsibility. It is now a matter of increasing self-interest. If we fail to make sufficient headway in reducing inequality, it will lead to growing conflict, refugee movements, environmental degradation, disease and natural disasters," explained Prime Minister Stoltenberg.
Continued contributions
In order to live up to Norway’s special responsibility with regard to diminishing the disparities in the world, Prime Minister Stoltenberg said that, "Norway is—and will continue to be—one of the world’s largest contributors per capita to international development efforts. Norway will also continue its formidable contributions to the UN-budgets and programs as well as to UN-mandated peacekeeping efforts."
Norway’s active involvement in conflict prevention and resolution in many regions of the world will also continue, Prime Minister Stoltenberg confirmed.
Technology theme
The theme of this year’s UNDP report is technology. The report deals specifically with how new technologies in the field of information and communications technology, biotechnology, and genetic engineering will affect developing countries as well as people living below the poverty level around the world. Rapid advances are being made in these areas.
"The UNDP report shows that there are no simple, quick solutions to the challenges facing the developing countries today. Development assistance will continue to be essential for the poorest countries. Trade policies and new technologies will also be important tools. Support for education and capacity-building is also becoming increasingly important to ensure that the new technologies also benefit the poorest people," said Minister Sydnes.
The report reveals that the development of new technologies, for example in the pharmaceutical industry, is primarily steered by the market.