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🗞️ Driving the news: A new ranking covering 193 countries reveals that global human development, as measured by living standards, has largely stalled following the COVID-19 pandemic • The Human Development Index (HDI) — encompassing life expectancy, education, and income — shows that many nations have struggled to regain pre-pandemic progress, with setbacks visible even among traditionally high-performing countries

🔭 The context: The HDI, developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has long been a benchmark for comparing living standards globally • Historically, the world saw consistent improvements across most countries • However, the COVID-19 pandemic reversed gains for the first time in decades, exacerbating inequality and putting additional strain on health, education, and economic systems worldwide

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Stalled or declining human development affects not only individual well-being but also countries' capacities to address broader challenges like climate change, migration, and political instability • A weakened global baseline in education, health, and income complicates collective action toward sustainability goals, and risks undermining investments in green transitions, resilience, and poverty reduction

⏭️ What's next: Countries and international bodies are expected to focus on targeted recovery measures, prioritizing healthcare strengthening, education access, and income protection • Development agencies warn that without robust policy interventions, inequalities could deepen further • Upcoming global summits — including the UN’s 2025 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) review — will likely spotlight strategies to reinvigorate human development

💬 One quote: “Progress is not inevitable. It must be earned and protected,” — Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme

📈 One stat: Globally, the HDI in 2023 remained lower than in 2019 for around 40% of countries, highlighting the persistent impact of the pandemic on human development

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