| UNDP Saudi Arabia Nationally Launches the Human Development Report 2007/2008 on “Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World” |
1 December 2007, Riyadh,
Dr. El-Mostafa Benlamlih, UN Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative, Mrs. Mayssam Tamim, UNDP Assistant Resident Representative, and Dr. David Aubrey, General Manager at Woodshole Group, and Mrs. Muna Abu-Sulayman, UNDP National Goodwill Ambassador shared a panel to nationally launch UNDP’s Human Development Report (HDR) 2007/2008 entitled “Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World” to regional, national, and local media representatives.
Dr. Benlamlih inaugurated the session by delivering a speech introducing the HDR and shedding some light on the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference to be convened in Bali, Indonesia. He spoke about how the conference would review the results and recommendations of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and formulate a follow up on negotiations to follow the KYOTO protocol.
Dr. Aubrey delivered a presentation which tackled Historical and Regional Perspectives of Climate Change. Following that, Mrs. Tamim presented the key findings of the HDR 2007/2008 highlighting Saudi Arabia’s status and performance, and Mrs. Abu-Sulayman gave a brief speech that contained key messages on Environment.
HDR 2007/2008 shows that climate change is not just a future scenario. Increased exposure to droughts, floods and storms is already destroying opportunities and reinforcing inequalities. Meanwhile, there is now overwhelming scientific evidence that the world is moving towards the points at which irreversible ecological catastrophe becomes unavoidable.
As the report argues, climate change poses challenges at many levels. In a divided but ecologically interdependent world, it challenges all people to reflect upon how we manage the environment of the one thing that we share in common: planet earth. It challenges us to reflect on social justice and human rights across countries and generations. And, it challenges political leaders and people in rich nations to acknowledge their responsibility for the problem, and to initiate deep and early cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Human Development Index (HDI), an integral part of the report, ranks 177 countries according to their level of human development. This year, Iceland rose to the 1st rank whereas Sierra Leone remained in the 177th and last rank. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked 61st, rising from rank 76 in last year’s report, which reflects outstanding progress. The Kingdom has moved from being a Medium Human Development Country to being a High Human Development Country in 2007.
The event came to an end after opening the floor for questions and comments raised by the media representatives that were present.
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