On September 16^th, 2022, in the presence of Eritrean Governmental Officials, Development Partners, UN Heads of Agencies, and National Media, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Eritrea Country office officially launched the Human Development Report, 2021/2022 “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World.”

During the session, interesting presentations and insightful discussions took place on the new uncertainty complex, in which the biggest challenges of Climate Crisis, Biodiversity loss, inequality, political polarization, and technological upheaval feed off each other.

Focus was placed on the progress made by Eritrea in terms of the Human Development Index between 2002 and 2022; for instance, the life expectancy increased by about 7.7 years over this period and averaging about 60-67 years of life expectancy, which is much higher than the average for Sub-Saharan Africa and which in a sense accentuate the gains the country has made primarily in areas of health; attainment of health related MDGs.

It has also been observed progress in the areas of education in terms of completion rates, and still, more investment is needed in terms of the quality of education.

The Human Development Reports published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1990 as independent, analytically, and empirically grounded discussions of major development issues, trends, and policies, were launched globally by UNDP on September 8^th, 2022.

The Report highlights that more than 90% of countries saw a decline in their HDI score in either 2020 or 2021, while over 40% of nations declined in both years. The study identified the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war as the primary reasons behind this fall.