Human Development Report 2023-24: Spotlights

This week, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released its 2023/24 Human Development Report (HDR), ‘Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarized World’.

The report features two ‘Spotlight’ contributions from Co-Directors of the Changing Global Orders programme, Prof. Patricia Clavin and Prof. Andrew Thompson.

Since 1990, the UNDP has annually published the HDR, aiming to offer new insights into, and to raise awareness of, human development approaches worldwide. The report’s Spotlight articles represent expert viewpoints, strategically incorporated into the Report to stimulate further dialogue amongst policymakers and researchers. 

 Prof. Clavin's Spotlight, ‘The Human Toll of Mismanaging Interdependence: Insights from National and International History’ reveals how two world wars and unparalleled economic crises, population displacement and disease, generated ideas and practices to promote more effective cooperation in a turbulent world.

Prof. Thompson’s article, ‘Geopolitics and the Early History of the United Nations: Friend or Foe?’ explores the relationship between geopolitics and the UN’s institutional evolution. He emphasises the reciprocal relationship between the UN and geopolitics, highlighting the valuable insights distilled from the organisation’s past reforms as it confronts the task of revitalising its institutional framework today.

Both Co-Directors have also contributed written inputs and peer reviews to draft versions of the report, aiming not merely to produce a new document but rather to cultivate meaningful and collaborative discussions on human development. These contributions underscore the significance of both historical and interdisciplinary approaches in understanding and addressing contemporary global challenges.

The HDR global launch event recording can be accessed at Global launch of 2023/24 Human Development Report (HDR) (youtube.com) and the full Report can be downloaded at Human Development Report 2023-24 | Human Development Reports (undp.org).