ACADEMIC LAUNCH HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2013

The 2013 Human Development Report – "The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World" examines the profound shift in global dynamics driven by the fast-rising new powers of the developing world and its long-term implications for human development. China has already overtaken Japan as the worlds second biggest economy while lifting hundreds of millions of its people out of poverty. India is reshaping its future with new entrepreneurial creativity and social policy innovation. Brazil is lifting its living standards through expanding international relationships and antipoverty programs that are emulated worldwide.

But the "Rise of the South" analyzed in the Report is a much larger phenomenon: Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, South Africa, Indonesia and many other developing nations are also becoming leading actors on the world stage.The 2013 Human Development Report identifies more than 40 countries in the developing world that have done better than had been expected in human development terms in recent decades, with their progress accelerating markedly over the past ten years. The Report analyzes the causes and consequences of these countries achievements and the challenges that they face today and in the coming decades.

Each of these countries has its own unique history and has chosen its own distinct development pathway. Yet they share important characteristics and face many of the same challenges. They are also increasingly interconnected and interdependent. And people throughout the developing world are increasingly demanding to be heard, as they share ideas through new communications channels and seek greater accountability from governments and international institutions.

The 2013 Human Development Report identifies policies rooted in this new global reality that could promote greater progress throughout the world for decades to come. The Report calls for far better representation of the South in global governance systems and points to potential new sources of financing within the South for essential public goods. With fresh analytical insights and clear proposals for policy reforms, the Report helps chart a course for people in all regions to face shared human development challenges together, fairly and effectively. The launch event, jointly organized by UNIGE, the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and the United Nations Development Programme office in Geneva, will comprise a presentation of the report by the Head of the Development Research Team of the Human Development Report Office, followed by two panel discussions featuring institutional representatives from academia (UniGE, Graduate Institute), UN agencies and civil society. Participants in the panels will then be invited to engage actively with the audience during an open round of questions.

“The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World”

27 March 2013 14:00-19:00

UniMail - R380

40 Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve

1205 Geneva

(To reach UniMail, click here)

Further information: vittorio.mainetti@unige.ch

WATCH THE VIDEO:

Panel 1: https://mediaserver.unige.ch/media/2013/04/VN4-1bb0-2012-2013-A-04-08.mp4

Panel 2: https://mediaserver.unige.ch/media/2013/04/VN4-1bb0-2012-2013-A-04-08-A.mp4

                                                                           PROGRAMME

14:00 Opening

Jean-Dominique Vassalli, Rector of the University of Geneva

Petra Lantz, Director of the UNDP Office in Geneva

Ambassador Urs Schmid, Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva

14:10 Presentation of the 2013 Human Development Report (20 minutes)

By Maurice Kugler, Head, Development Research Team, Human Development Report Office, UNDP

Q&A session (15 minutes)

14: 45 Session 1: Advancing human development in a more integrated world

·      Round table –  (1 hour)

Chair: Prof. Jaya Krishnakumar, Professor, University of Geneva

Speakers:

o   Sarah Cook, Director, UNRISD

o   Margareta Drzeniek-Hanouz, Director, Global Competitiveness Network, World Economic Forum  (tbc)

o   Raymond Torres, Director of the International Institute for Labour Studies, ILO

o   Manuel Montes, Senior Advisor on Finance and Development, South Centre

o   Khalil Hamdani, South Voice, Board member of CUTS International, Geneva

·      Open discussion (30 min)

Coffee Break (15 minutes)

16:30 Session 2: New forms of cooperation towards global management of public goods and sustainable human development

·      Presentation: Recap of the relevant points from HDR 2012 by Maurice Kugler, Head, Development Research Team, Human Development Report Office, UNDP (5 to 10 minutes)

·      Round table – (1 hour)

Chair: Prof. Jean-Louis Arcand, Professor, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Speakers:

o   Olivier Burki, Head of the Global Institutions Division, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

o  Jan Dusik, Acting Director and Regional Representative, UNEP Regional Office for Europe

o   Richard Kozul-Wright, Head of Unit - Economic Cooperation and Integration among Developing Countries, UNCTAD

o   Janos Pasztor, Director, Policy & Science, World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

o   Prof. Bernard Debarbieux, Professor, University of Geneva

·      Open discussion (30 minutes)

18:15: Conclusion

  by Maurice Kugler,  Head, Development Research Team, Human Development Report Office, UNDP
  and Petra Lantz, Director of the UNDP Office in Geneva

18:30 Cocktail