(MENAFN - Emirates News Agency (WAM)) The undersecretary of Abu Dhabi Economic Development Department, said that the efforts exerted by the wise leadership are not restricted to human development locally but have extended to the outside.
The state has prompted to give support to various friendly peoples throughout capitalizing human, development activities as well as educational and healthcare projects.
He said that the aid given by the state through its institutions such as Abu Dhabi Development Fund, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Humanitarian Association and UAE Red Crescent Society, has become an important tool in achieving development, either totally or sustainably in several countries. Add to that the world development and humanitarian initiatives and projects conducted by the government in coordination with the concerned UN agencies and other world partners.
He added that four decades after the establishment of UAE, the recognition of human value as pivotal for total development has vigorously contributed to the march of the state till it has become admirable for the whole world nowadays more than ever before.
The undersecretary of Economic Development Department of Abu Dhabi expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the sincere leaders and the locals who persevered to get the state to such advanced levels which are the fruit of the deeds of the founder late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who set the example and followed by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Rebecca Grynspan, Associate Administrator of the UNDP said it is a great opportunity to launch the report in Abu Dhabi for the second consecutive year because of the high place UAE achieved in the report as it is the first among Arab countries She added that the report looks at various challenges facing development in the world specially how to meet the basic needs of the peoples.
she added that the report comes at a time when the world leaders are preparing for meeting in Rio De Janero to discuss sustainability and equity as elements of world development.
She said the world development report set a message regarding the environmental side that necessitates certain steps to environmental catastrophes and to avoid further degradation.
Amatul Aleem Sowsawa, UN General Secretary Assistant for UNDP in the Arab region said: "We are glad for launching Human Development Report 2011 for the second consecutive year in Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE. It is an opportunity to highlight the challenges and opportunities facing human development in the Arab region and to highlight the UAE admirable march of human development in the recent years at the time of celebrating 40 anniversary of its establishment.
Al Sawsawa asserted that although UAE has achieved the highest per capita income all over the world, it has also achieved unprecedented leaps in human development particularly healthcare and education by virtue of its successful strategies and vision of investing its income in these two fields.
She said that in the healthcare field, UAE has invested vigorously and wisely along the past 40 years. The average life expectancy for individuals increased from above 14 to 76 years. In education, UAE has achieved clear progress gradually along the past 30 years as UAE child is enjoying a high level of education for 13 years.
She added that along the past five years, UAE could climb 19 grades in the human development index which means that UAE citizens are enjoying the highest ever standard of living; more rapidly than other several countries.
Amatul Aleem Alsawsawa said that it is important to refer to the tremendous efforts exerted by the UAE government to diversify its national economy over the past decades by means of capital investments in new sectors in order to extend its economy boundaries and creating jobs for its steadily increasing population.
She gave a notice that the most prominent investments that availed UAE to occupy advanced levels in human development were in healthcare and pharmaceuticals and other sectors like aviation, transport, trade, tourism, media, telecommunication as well as culture and education.
Regarding human development report 2011, she made it clear that it has focused this year on sustainability in human development trying to answer: How can we secure human development both today and tomorrow? Referring to the data mentioned in the report which indicate the increasing wide environmental degradation all over the world.
