LocationsRemarks by Ms Kanni Wignaraja at the Policy Dialogue on Human Development
November 13, 2023
UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, delivered remarks at the policy dialogue on human development in Beijing, China.
Distinguished Vice President Peng Gang,
Director Li Jianwei; esteemed professors, UN colleagues and partners,
I am delighted to be here today for this important policy dialogue, as we explore pathways to advance human development in an era of rapidly evolving risks for the Asia Pacific region, including for China.
The world is facing existential threats arising from climate change, wars and pandemics. We can only hope that these are not irreversible.
Adding to this picture, we see the significant obstacles to economic growth and job creation amid technological changes and demographic trends. This is across the world.
And efforts to address these challenges are constantly hindered by increasing political polarization. Against this turbulent landscape, it is critical to re-think our development models and pathways.
The Asia-Pacific region has witnessed remarkable progress in the past two decades, emerging as a global economic powerhouse, contributing to 35% of global GDP. Over the last three decades, the human development index (HDI) of the region has seen a rise of 19 percentage points – marking this the most significant leap, globally.
However, stubborn, large disparities continue to persist – both among and within countries. And this if what we must turn our attention to and address head-on.
Recent disruptions - such as the COVID pandemic, the global food and energy crises and the rising debt burdens in many countries - have led to significant setbacks. This is true across the board, but it is particularly visible in areas of widening gender and climate gaps.
Indeed, based on current trends our region will not achieve any of the SDGs before 2065. If we are lucky!
In response to unmet aspirations, heightened human insecurity, and increasingly complex challenges, UNDP has just published the 2024 Regional Human Development Report for Asia and the Pacific, offering a framework to rethink development strategies.
I had the pleasure of launching this Report, titled “Making Our Future – New Directions for Human Development in Asia and the Pacific”, last week in Tokyo.
In the report, we have explored and identified a series of policy levers and initiatives across our region, from which we can learn. And then evolve to the next stage of what can be done. The ideas build on our collective strengths, and gain from the richness and from past experiences, to help us chart ways forward towards high-quality development in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Today, I would like to share some key insights, including the report’s three sets of recommendations to accelerate and deepen human development. I believe these are also relevant to an ongoing dialogue in China and hope they will stimulate further discussion.
First, people-centric perspectives and the interests of future generations should be put at the center of decision-making.
Human development is about expanding people’s opportunities and choices and improving well-being, today and safeguarding the lives of future generations. This means, amongst other issues, tackling climate change and accelerating a just energy transition.
China has made important commitments in this regard, exemplified by its dual carbon goals to peak emissions before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality before 2060. If these efforts are maintained and accelerated, and made inclusively, the green transition can generate significant economic, social and environmental benefits.
A recent report from the UNDP China has examined the employment impacts of China’s energy transition, revealing that job opportunities in the wind and solar sectors in China are expected to double and quadruple respectively within 50 years, largely compensating for jobs lost in the thermal power generation.
To ensure a just and inclusive transition, workers who lose their jobs must be supported and new opportunities that are created should be accessible to all. They should also pay well and equally for men and women. Moving forward, it is essential for China and other countries to embed such considerations into its climate-related policies and strategies.
Second, we must pivot towards the “right kind of growth”. And what do we mean by that? This is growth that generates more decent jobs and creates a more secure future for many more people – so more inclusive policies that reach hard to get to places, and no longer destroy the environment but manage and protect natural assets as part of the wealth of a nation.
"People-centric perspectives and the interests of future generations should be put at the center of decision-making."
China’s aim of “high-quality development” looks to move in this direction. For if China can show that it can be done, at large scale, and with more winners and less losers, it is a demonstration to many other countries that we can grow people’s prosperity and protect nature and the climate at the same time.
China’s rapid evolution from a global assembly-line to a leading force in design and innovation is remarkable and serves as a good example in this regard. A key ingredient has been the investments in human capital and rapid adaptive learning. This, coupled with significant physical capital investments, updated industrial and agriculture policy, using a blend of foreign and domestic direct investments, has fuelled this progress.
During this ongoing transition, China is also witnessing growing socio-economic disparity, particularly between urban and rural areas. Recent efforts such as the government’s rural revitalization initiative, is to try and narrow the gap. The gini coefficient trends show gradual progress.
The structural imbalance between rural and urban areas remains a key development challenge for our region which is rapidly urbanizing. This is also very much so for China. By investing in initiatives that promote the green and digital transformation of agriculture and enhancing the income of rural households, China can unlock the untapped potential of the rural market.
A high-quality development pathway, with green technology and targeted social policies, must determinedly address persistent structural exclusion in labour markets. Who gets left behind and why, and what must be done about it, are the right questions to ask and respond to. Efforts to strengthen integration and bring in all vulnerable and marginal groups who currently do not see its full benefits, be it due to geography or identity, is key. Promoting a more inclusive growth also promotes a more inclusive and cohesive society.
And lastly, the ability to get things done in the right ways, relies on the actions taken by leaders and institutions, and the people they represent, working together.
To ‘make change happen’, greater emphasis needs to be placed on the politics of reform and the design of effective delivery mechanisms. The leap from strategy to action will require a shift in mindset, as well as institutions for implementation that can be agile and adapt to fast-moving demands and trends.
The increasingly complex and cross-cutting nature of the challenges require more horizontal and vertical coordination mechanisms across government, with the business sector and with local communities. This is particularly relevant in large countries such as China where the ability to realise the impact of national policy, will be how effectively and fairly it is distributed and implemented at the provincial and local levels.
China, like the rest of the region, stands at a crossroads of multiple transitions and interrelated risks. The move towards a low-carbon economy and the imperative to address social inequalities are just a few of the complex challenges the country and region faces. These transitions while daunting, also present us with an opportunity to re-imagine our economies and societies and build a future that is better for all and for our planet.
Our dialogue and sharing of ideas and practices, and the partnerships we cherish and trust, will help us navigate these periods of turbulence and build forward for the present and future generations!
Thank you!
