Presentation of UNDP’s Human Development Report 2015: Work for Human Development

Presentation of UNDP’s Human Development Report 2015 by Michael O’Neill, UN Assistant-Secretary-General/UNDP Bureau Director, and Martin Bille Hermann, State Secretary for Development Policy, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This year’s Human Development Report titled “Work for Human Development” looks at the interaction between work and human development. Apart from the economic gains, work also contributes to the feeling of dignity, strengthens solidarity and helps to build new skills and competences. However, work is not a guarantee for human development. Forced labour, unequal and poor workings conditions can have a negative impact on human development and sustainability.

The report considers the new realities that workers around the world face as a result of globalization and the digital revolution, and the opportunities and challenges they present. Based on the analysis, the report provides concrete policy recommendations encompassing paid work, unpaid care work, and other work, which could advance sustainable human development.

The Human Development Report is a UNDP flagship report. This year it celebrates its 25th anniversary. Since its first publication in 1990, the report has advocated for the concept of human development, which looks beyond economic growth and also at the expansion of people’s opportunities and choices as an indicator of development.