(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The top 10 performers in the 2012 Connectedness Index are Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Singapore, Ireland, Canada and the United States, according to a new report released today by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
The report, Networks for Prosperity: Connecting development knowledge beyond 2015, has been launched on the margins of the Global South-South Development Expo 2012 taking place in Vienna.
Since last year, Canada and Ireland have significantly improved their positions but the United States, while still among the top 10, has lost six places in the index due to its deteriorating international connectedness sub-index and is now ranked 10th.
The report illustrates the importance of network governance in the context of economic globalization, aid and development. It argues that this is of particular relevance in the context of the current debate on the establishment of a new set of global development goals by 2015.
The updated 2012 Connectedness Index, covering 132 countries, shows that many emerging economies - such as Chile, Costa Rica, South Africa and Viet Nam - have systematically improved their connectedness.
A strong correlation exists between a country's connectedness - its readiness for the challenges of globalization - and its government effectiveness, regulatory quality, competitive industrial performance and overall economic success. Based on this evidence, the report urges the international community to adopt network governance and knowledge network approaches in its global development strategies and the post-Millennium Development Goals agenda.
It also recommends middle-income countries to strengthen their role in global development cooperation through intensified knowledge networking and South-South cooperation.
"The Networks for Prosperity report analyzes the nexus between the global connectedness of a country and its economic success, sustainability and government effectiveness," said UNIDO Director-General, Kandeh K. Yumkella.
"This is a unique contribution to the global development debate at a time when the world seeks new solutions and innovative approaches for a new era of international development strategy. Efforts to reach agreement on a new set of global development goals beyond 2015 are also looking to unleash the power of new development actors through networks.
This report provides a close and detailed approach to networks, reflecting their influence and impact on global policymaking and development cooperation." Spain's Secretary of State for International Cooperation and for Latin America, Jes?s Gracia Aldaz, added: "Spain is proud and honoured to be part of this second report and commends UNIDO for its continued work in this field. The Networks for Prosperity initiative has been supported by Spain since its beginning, and we value all the related achievements and activities developed under this programme by UNIDO.
We especially welcome the focus on the Latin America and the Caribbean region and I truly believe that UNIDO's catalytic work and expertise are ideal for matching the economic development priorities of the countries from this geographic region." Speakers at the report's launch, included Luis Alvarez Soto, Costa Rica's Vice Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce; Ambassador Carmen Bujn Freire, Permanent Representative of Spain to UNIDO; Jan Wouters, Director of the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies; and Wilfried Luetkenhorst, Managing Director at UNIDO.
The report has been jointly produced by UNIDO and the Centre for Global Governance Studies in Leuven, Belgium, under the overall umbrella of the Spanish MDG Achievement Fund. It includes contributions from a wide variety of experts in the field of knowledge networks and network governance.
