UN: Overlapping Crises Have Set Human Development Back Five Years

A new UN report [PDF] said the global Human Development Index value has declined two years in a row, a first since the index was created in 1990. The index measures (AFP) life expectancies, education levels, and standards of living. Ninety percent of the 191 countries studied saw their scores decline (VOA) in 2020 or 2021. After the 2008 financial crisis, scores fell in only 10 percent of countries studied, UN Development Program chief Achim Steiner said.

The report attributes the declines to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and economic uncertainty, among other factors. The report has yet to consider the war in Ukraine. Steiner called for increased development assistance to poor countries and stronger policies focused on fighting climate change.

Analysis

“I think we’re living through the biggest development disaster in history, with more people being pushed more quickly into dire poverty than has ever happened before,” University of Oxford’s Ian Goldin tells the New York Times. “It’s a particularly perilous time for the world economy.”

“Heightened geopolitical competition makes it even more difficult to produce the cooperation demanded by new global problems, and the deteriorating international environment further fuels geopolitical tensions,” CFR President Richard Haass writes in Foreign Affairs.

Pacific Rim

Australia Passes First Climate Law in Ten Years

The law includes targets (The Guardian) for Australia to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 43 percent, compared to 2005 levels, by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

China: China’s exports to the United States fell for the first time in two years in August, while its exports to Russia surged by more than 26 percent compared to last year, Bloomberg reported.

South and Central Asia

India, Japan to Hold First Joint Fighter Jet Drills

The countries’ foreign and defense ministers discussed the plan (Kyodo) during their second two-plus-two talks since 2019.

India: Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi started walking across the country (Nikkei), a journey of over 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles), to rally support for his Indian National Congress party.

Middle East and North Africa

U.S.-Backed Syrian Forces Apprehend Terrorism Suspects

The Syrian Defense Forces detained dozens of people (WaPo) over the last two weeks for their suspected involvement with the self-proclaimed Islamic State at Syria’s al-Hol refugee camp, U.S. Central Command said.

Iraq: The country’s top court blocked a request (Bloomberg) by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to dissolve the legislature. Sadr’s supporters led deadly protests in Baghdad last month.

CFR’s Max Boot discusses how inter-Shia strife is threatening Iraqi security.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Burkina Faso Study Shows New Malaria Booster Is Highly Effective

The vaccine, developed at the University of Oxford, was found to be as much as 80 percent effective (FT) at preventing clinical signs of malaria in children, scientists said.

Mozambique: The European Union said it will give $15 million (Reuters) to the regional mission fighting insurgents in Mozambique.

Europe

U.S. Pledges Military Support for Ukraine, European Countries

In Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States will supply $2 billion (NYT) in long-term aid to Ukraine and eighteen other countries that are at risk of a Russian invasion. Separately, the Department of Defense announced $675 million in aid for Ukraine.

In Foreign Affairs, Timothy Snyder discusses the war between democracy and nihilism in Ukraine.

United Kingdom: Prime Minister Liz Truss will lay out plans to cap energy prices for households today. Her government is expected to borrow some $115 billion to fund the plan, the BBC reported.

This In Brief looks at how the war in Ukraine has brought Europe’s reliance on Russian energy into sharp relief.

Americas

One Person Killed in Haiti’s Anti-government Protests

Demonstrators in several cities voiced their opposition (Miami Herald) to interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry, high prices, and gang violence. At least one person died during protests in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Ecuador: The country’s mining minister said the government and Indigenous groups reached a deal (Reuters) to halt exploration on sixteen oil blocks as part of a dialogue that began after protests earlier this year.

United States

Report: Top-Secret Documents on Nuclear Security Found at Mar-a-Lago

The FBI found documents detailing another country’s nuclear readiness when they searched former President Donald Trump’s residence in Florida, the Washington Post reported.

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