A high level of political commitment is needed for South Asia to achieve its economic and social goals, and to sustain economic growth and advance towards human development, an international report stated.
The report made the observation after exploring whether economic success has provided employment opportunities for people, enhanced job quality, improved food security and reduced poverty and inequalities in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The report titled “Human Development in South Asia 2015 – The Economy and the People” was published by Pakistan-based Mahbub-ul-Haq Human Development Centre, and presented yesterday at the capital’s Brac Inn Centre by Brac University’s Institute of Governance Studies (IGS).
The eighteenth edition of the report analysed the record of economic growth and human development in South Asia from 1980 to 2010 and addressed the issue of connection between economic growth and people’s lives.
According to the report, high economic growth has been complemented in South Asia by progress in health, education, malnutrition and population welfare over the last 30 years.
The increased economic growth in the region has resulted in more employment opportunities, less poverty and hunger and improvements in health and education.
However, there have been failures to use the resources generated by economic growth to enhance people’s lives.
As a result, poverty and hunger still prevails in South Asia, while access to education infrastructure remains insufficient and inadequate, the report found.
Speaking at the programme, International Growth Centre (IGC) Bangladesh country economist Farria Naeem said GDP in South Asia has increased at an annual rate of 6% over the last three decades, making it one of the fastest growing economic regions of the world, second only to East Asia and the Pacific.
However, the region still needs to integrate economically by promoting deeper trade and transit arrangements and by developing common trade infrastructure.
She recommended a strong political commitment to make employment creation the main objective of a people-centred growth strategy.
She said the next 30 years should be about scaling up successful interventions through political ownership and community-driven initiatives to get all children in school and make them learn effectively.
Addressing the programme as special guest, Dr Selim Jahan, director of Human Development Report Office at UNDP in New York, said the economic growth in this sub-region has tripled in the last three years, whereas the Human Development Index has gone up by only 1.5 times.
Economic growth has to work for improvement of lives and people and therefore inclusive growth is required for human development, he said.
The inclusive growth should be a process where people can participate, people can be awarded for their contribution, and not destroy choices for future generation, he added.
“There have to be equity and opportunity and The growth process has to be equitable in terms of participation and benefit,” he said.
